The Second Reaper
by Ultimate Student
Summary: Dying sucks. A lot. But being given a second chance doesn't sound too bad, especially if I'm thrown into my favorite manga. But wait, something's not right... who the hell is that guy? (Cover Image by the awesome Onislogo, go check their DeviantArt now!) [DEAD]
1. Everything begins

**CHAPTER 1**

 **A/N: SHSL Student: Hello, my name is SHSL Student and welcome to "The Second Reaper". This story is actually a... rather unique kind of OC/Self Insert fic, since it is based on the fanfic called "This Never-Ending Story" by Laradhel, who is collaborating (and beta-reading) to write this hopefully great fanfic.**

 **-Laradhel: Hi guys! Yup, basically this is gonna be a "fanfic within a fanfic", so it's actually original. We are two people writing, one from Europe, the other from South America, so organizing this will be a pain, but... I think we'll manage, right?**

 **-SHSL Student: Hell yeah we will! One Piece is one of my most loved manga, and I want to make a fanfic that shows that. However, let me warn you right now: I am the kind of person that can come up with pretty crazy ideas, which I hope Laradhel will somehow manage to make them fit. Also, expect a lot of Easter Eggs, Spanish swearings and silly puns delivered by an explosive character.**

 **-Laradhel: Sure, I'll try to make them fit...** **Somehow xD Hopefully my own OC won't be as explosive as yours, Stu (can I call you that?) God knows how many crazy people are already on One Piece (jk).**

 **-SHSL Student (aka Stu now): Yes, you can call me that as long as I can call you Lara.**

 **-Laradhel (aka Lara): Okay! So everyone, here's the first chapter of "The Second Reaper", hope you like it. Oh, and before we forget, we own absolutely nothing of One Piece, just our respectives OCs.**

One very good way of describing how it feels to die is that the only thing you will be thinking is "Why did this happen to me?"

Even more with how I died. Shot twice in the chest after someone stole my cellphone and my wallet at gunpoint.

I was expecting things to simply fade to black, as my last thoughts repeated over and over again in my head. Instead, once everything went black, the awful pain I was feeling simply faded away… and I started hearing…

Music? Yep, classical music. Maybe Mozart.

But wait, that's impossible! I got shot and _died_! Why the hell am I hearing music?!

I opened my eyes, and I started to look around the general area I was in. It was a black-and-blue room, with a gramophone playing music in the background. I realized I was sitting in a black couch, and I could not see anything else, not even the walls, and an overhead light shone down on where I was sitting.

"What the hell…?"

As I stood up, I noticed my clothing had changed. I was wearing a long, sleveless, white overcoat with a hood , a black dress shirt and a deep blue loose tie, a chain that had a pocket watch made from a weird black metal and a pair of cargos; I could feel bandages or some sort of cloth on my hands and up to my shoulders, and the only thing I kept from what I was wearing when I died, my limited edition red leather Converse. Somehow, seeing that reminder of my former life lifted my spirits a bit.

"I see you have woken up, Espectro."

 _!_

I looked quickly around, and noticed something I hadn't seen before. A throne, in which a figure in dark robes and wielding a scythe was sitting on; the only thing I could see from it were its hands and feet, which were skeletal and ivory white. Its scythe was the same as the one Death from the game _Dante's Inferno_ wielded. Its face was obscured by the hood the robes had.

"Are you the Grimm Reaper? And why are you calling me Espectro?"

"Yes,I am the Grimm Reaper. And you are the first spirit in a lot of years that I have felt pity for… That brings me to why I didn't send your soul to Judgement: I want to give you a chance to, as a ghost, be sent to some other place. I am not able to give you your life back, but you will have some… powers, as my ambassador."

"A-ambassador? What are you talking about?"

"I would make you help spirits that are stuck in the Plane of the Living pass to this plane, the Plane of the Dead. In exchange, I'll send you to a world and leave some weapons at your disposal. Since I will enjoy seeing you fight, I find it funny."

I felt desperation begin to suffocate me as I listened as in a daze what the Grimm Reaper was telling me. Sure it was nice to be given a second chance (even being someone shady's messenger), but the perspective of never seeing any of my beloved ones was awful as well.

"Please, PLEASE, tell me I'm in a fucking coma! I can't be DEAD!"

But the Grimm Reaper merely brushed aside my anxiousness.

"Nope, you're dead as dead can be. Let me show you." The Grimm Reaper waved a hand, and a screen appeared in mid-air in front of me, showing a funeral, and my family and friends surrounding a coffin.

"Oh God. My family, my friends!" My hands started to tremble, and then suddenly I gripped my head with my hands. "I DIED AND I NEVER HAD SEX!"

"Calm down and _listen_!"

My mouth clamped shut, and my body froze. The power the Grimm Reaper had scared me.

"The reason I'm doing this is because one of the Reapers from some universe stopped sending data, so YOU are to take their place, got it?"

I nod quickly, even though i have a million questions running through my mind.

"Perfect! Then the only thing left for me to say is... Goodbye, and enjoy your new afterlife!" ... Was that mockery?

And then everything went dark...

 _Again_.

When I began to wake up, the first thing I noticed was the smell of sea, and lots of people talking. Wherever I was, at least it wasn't in a desert.

"Ugh, fucking monkey in the Queen's bloomers!"

When I opened my eyes, blinking because of the bright sun punishing my eyeballs, I saw that I was lying on mi back in a house's rooftop, and after some minutes completly freaking out and cursing in such a way that even Davy Jones himself would blush. After getting up, I took a look at my surroundings. At first it seemed like a normal town, somewhat familiar, as if I had already seen it somewhere before...

"Now that I freaked out enough, let's see where the hell am I- Oh dear fucking _God_!"

Now I could recognize this place very easily. It was fucking LOGUETOWN.

I was in _One Piece_.

A part of me was extremly happy and the other was completely horrified.

Happy, because it wasn't storming, wich meant I either was before or after (Please tell me before...) Luffy and CO. came here. Horrified, because I KNEW that I would fucking change things since knowing how shitty my luck is, I would end up changing the story.

As I was walking towards the edge of the building, I tripped over something and my face met the floor with a bang.

"Gah, fuck!"

I began swearing again, my poor toes protesting and my face recovering from the kiss I gave to the lovely floor, and then I sat up to see what I had tripped with.

It was a large metal case, pretty heavy-looking, that had a note stuck to its top:

 **"As I am assuming you must have woken up and are reading this note, I can only tell you 3 things:**

 **1- Be good with your gauntlets, she could very easily make you have a bad time.**

 **2- Enjoy your gun.**

 **3- DON'T FIGHT AGAINST HAKI USERS. I WARN YOU.**

 **Have a nice after life!**

 **-Your new boss, Death."**

That last sentence of having a nice after-life made me raise an eyebrow, actually wondering if I would be able to do that. It was One Piece after all, and I was planning to join the Strawhats (After all, I kinda wanted to survive...), so I was bound to fight against Haki users sooner or later.

Setting aside the note, I unfastened the claps of the metal box and opened it, my eyes widening when I saw its contents.

Two weapons I knew very well laid there, waiting for someone to pick them up. Shining under the sun, a familiar revolver and a pair of gauntlets brought a wide smile to my face.

I didn't know much about revolvers, but from what I read from Wikipedia, Blue Rose was a heavily modified Smith and Wesson Model 500 double-action revolver. Nero had this weapon customized for special purposes with the following modifications:

1) It had a traditional 6-shot cylinder as opposed to the Model 500's original 5-shot cylinder.

2) Targeting sights, and porting on each barrel to reduce recoil and muzzle flip.

3) An obvious extra barrel underneath allowing for a double shot.

4) A molded wooden grip and an intricate blue rose design carved into the left side of the gun (hence the name).

As for the pair of gauntlets, they were Emberfists, a pair of big, heavy, studded, iron punching gauntlets, designed to fit over a person's hands. They were coloured in bright, fiery-orange tones, with black flame patterns decorating the tops of the hands. I didn't know if the rules applying in the D&D for the Emberfists worked here in One Piece, but I wasn't going to complain; just having them will look absolutely badass.

Along with Blue Rose and the Emberfists, there was also a worn-out brown belt with a holster for the Blue Rose and a small pouch.

" _Sweet_."

I picked up Blue Rose and was surprised to see how heavy it was. The same happened with the Emberfists.

Shrugging, I set them aside and grabbed the small pouch, opening it to find bullets for the revolver. Well at least I wouldn't need to use the revolver for butting heads instead of firing.

My grin widened into a full-fledged smile worthy of one of Luffy's when I incorporated and put on the belt around my hips, the holster at my right. I holstered Blue Rose and put on the pair of iron gauntlets.

Right now, being the Grimm Reaper's ambassador didn't sound bad at all.


	2. The New One

**CHAPTER 2**

 **Hello, fellow pirates! SHSL Student here with the next chapter of The Second Reaper. I'm sorry for taking so long to post, but life happened. Also, say hello Lara!**

 **Hi, Stu, and hi there guys and gals reading 'The Second Reaper!' I'm so excited, here Espectro will realize something's... not right with the Mugiwaras... I wonder what will it be?**

 **Well, Lara, our readers will have to find out themselves, so...**

 **LET´S GET ON WITH IT! :D**

 **A/N: We own absolutely nothing of One Piece, just our respectives OCs.**

Well, now that I was armed and ready, I think I should go look for Luffy and CO...

"So, you're my new owner, huh?"

 _What?_

As I turn around, I see someone I would not expect to see in the world of One Piece.

Yang Xiao Long. The Y from RWBY.

She _did_ look... different, though. She wasn't wearing anything that she used in the series, but rather clothing that was like a combination of her style with... Hei Xiong's?  
She was wearing some yellow Raivans on her hair (which were the same as the original Yang), a white, sleeveless dress shirt under a yellow vest and her classic brown jacket, some black leather pants and knee-high brown boots.

"I'm going to guess you're the spirit that's living in these?" I said lifting the gauntlets.

"Yuuuuuup. And I want to know your name. You know, since I'll be your personal pair of talking boxing gloves."

 _Well, at least I think she would behave like the original._

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you... Do you have a name? Or do I have to call you Emberfists?"

"Just call me Ember."

"Alright, then my name is Nicolás, or as the world will know me, Espectro. I hope we get along." I made a small bow before a thought crossed my mind. "One question before we go: Are you projecting an image of yourself in my brain?"

"Ooooh, a smart one! Yep, this is just an image in your brain, Espectro. Only you will be able to see me." Ember nodded in confirmation, apparently pleased to see that I caught on that little detail.

"I'm going to assume we do have a mental link so we can communicate via thought... or Ember-hand gestures, right?" I asked as I felt a grin coming across my face, and seeing Ember do the same.

" _Ha_! I think i'm really going to like you Espectro! But if you get to call me Ember I want to have a nickname for you too. "

"Well, you can just call me Blue. It's my favorite color."

She nodded and after waving at me she disappeared. Well, after that happened now lI should go looking for the Mugiwara crew.

The problem was, I had no idea where to begin. Should I go to port and look for the Going Merry? Should I look for the entire crew individually, though it would probably be a precious waste of time? Or...?

I facepalmed. There was _someone_ I could look for and find easily.

Up to all the crewmembers that arrived at Loguetown, only one gave indication of where he would go. After all, this was the town where the legendary Pirate King died, and certainly Monkey D. Luffy would try to find the execution stand where Roger spent his last moments and started the Pirate Era.

 _So this is it, then. First I have to find Luffy, convince him somehow of how awesome I am and then try to convince him to let me join. Though... Luffy is pretty simple-minded, so convincing him to ask me to join will be the easiest step._

Satisfied, I nodded to myself and then looked around, noticing once more that I was standing on a goddamn _rooftop_ and that I had no way of going down without breaking a few bones in the fall. Well, that, and without attracting unwanted attention. Smoker and the rest of the Marines would be around here, and considering I'm planning to become a pirate, letting the White Hunter about my existence wasn't exactly the smartest of moves.

 _Okay, now what? Goddamn Grimm Reaper, he could've left me in a normal place!_

As I took a look around, I notice that from the rooftop I woke up in, the plaza in which the Marines executed Roger was only a couple of blocks north, and that the houses were close enough for me to jump from rooftop to rooftop. Well, let's see if the weird anime physics are in effect or not!

I started running towards the border of the roof, but after taking five steps I tripped. AGAIN.

"OW! Dammit, why did I trip _again_?!"

As I got up, I noticed that my balance was really off... Did i become taller?!

 _"Ok... I became taller... the question is how much? Ugh, it's going to be a pain to get used to my new height... Well, I'll take some time to get used to it."_

 **/45 minutes later\**

"Well, that's seems to be enough! Let's try this again."

And then, when I looked over the edge, I noticed a bunch of big, well-placed sacks, begging for me to use them as cushions for my fall. I doubted however. Should I take the jump? Well, with Luffy and CO. I'll be getting more than injured. Falling from a two-story building wouldn't kill me.

... I think?

 _Only way of knowing it, doing it._

I breathed heavily, praying that the sacks would actually cushion my fall. Once more, I run towards the border of the roof, but this time I don't trip. When I jumped, I got from one roof to the next with ease. Some jumps later, I jumped to the street and landed in the execution plaza...

 _ **BAM!**_

"OW!"

Well, at least I didn't have any broken bones, though my butt will hurt for a little while. Thank you very much Grimm Reaper...

... And I suddenly got the image of a cheeky Grimm Reaper giving me a bony thumbs up. Perfect.

I glanced around, seeing a ton of people surrounded by clown-looking pirates, their faces turned towards...

Shit, Luffy! _How the hell didn't I see the storm forming?!_

"ZORO! SANJI! USOPP! NAMI! KOGA!"

 _... Koga? Who's that?_

"I'm dead."

Even knowing what was about to happen, my whole body tensed up. A blinding bright light surrounded everything, coming from a huge lightning bolt in the sky that hit right on the platform. The wooden structure burst into blue flames and collapsed on its side, with a thunderous noise as deafening as the thunderbolt.

But I knew better. And I smiled as I saw Luffy's straw hat float down to the floor, in front of a figure that picked it up and put it back on his head.

"Hahahahahahahahaha!" Luffy laughed, ignoring everyone's astonished faces. "Hey, I'm alive! I'm okay!"

 _Let's get Gomu-san's attention._ I opened my mouth to yell, but...

"Oi, Mugiwara!"

 _Hm, the Marines! How convenient!_

"Woah! It's the Marines! C'mon guys, let's go!"

"And what makes you think we'll let you?!"

 _Time to act!_

I followed after the Marines -who in turn were following the pirates. I got into an alley, trying to find a shortcut that would allow me to be between the two enemies, and when I found it I suddenly realized something. Something crucial for my plan...

Dammit! I should've asked for instructions about how to use these weapons!

'Hey, Blue! Use my fire attack!' I almost jumped at Ember's sudden voice in my head.

 _How? Luffy and the others are getting away, and if they run they'll never see how awesome I am!_

'Just say Pyro Bala and _punch_!'

 _Well, I can try..._

Just as Luffy and the others flashed in the street in front of me, I suddenly barged in, skidding to a stop in the middle of the street. The Marines, startled by my sudden apparition, also stopped, and I heard the Mugiwaras turning to see what was happening.

I let a feral smile creep into my face as I cocked my fist back.

"Pyro Bala!" I proclaimed, punching the air, as Ember had told me to do.

 **Fwooosh!**

The gauntlets sparked and started throwing bullet-shaped fireballs. Several Marines flew away, and the others pointed at me with their weapons.

"What are you doing?!" One of them yelled, incredulous at my actions. "Why are you helping those pirates?!"

"Because that man's destiny is too big for you to stop!" I answered coolly, and then threw a look over my shoulder at the unmoving pirates; I noticed there was _four_ figures instead of three, but now wasn't the time. "Move, Mugiwaras, MOVE!"

The rubber man smiled widely and let out his characteristic "Shishishi!" before running away, along with other three.

"Now then..." I turned again to the soldiers and raised my Emberfists to my face with a grin. "Shall we continue?"

"Pirate scum!"

One of them threw himself at me, but I quickly sidestep and slammed a flame-covered fist into his stomach, then punched another in the chin. I also threw some Pyro Balas at some cowards pointing at me with their rifles. I almost got turned into a sish-kabob when a sneaky bastard got behind me to stab me with his scimitar, but thanks to Ember I managed to step away and deliver a roundhouse kick -not as powerful as Sanji's though- to knock the guy unconscious.

Fortunately, they weren't powerful nor numerous, and in a matter of seconds I had dealt with the small troop. However, as I stood there amazed at how powerful the Grimm Reaper had made me -I've never been a fighting-lover after all- noises of incoming Marines reminded me that I had to get outta there before I get trapped and the Mugiwaras depart without me.

 _Okay, time to go!_

I turned on my heels and began running in the opposite direction, drenched by the heavy rain. If I remembered correctly, now I should find Zoro fighting Tashigi...

'Uh, I don't think so Blue. Look!'

 _What?_

I skidded to a stop again, my brain trying to process what I was witnessing.

Two men, one kneeling and his blond head down, and the other dressed like a high-ranking Marine and a dark broadsword about to impale the former.

Something stirred inside me at that sight, and before I could process what was going on I had already charged another Pyro Bala and had launched it at the Marine, impacting just in the center of his chest and sending him flying against a building. Surprised, the blond guy raised his head and swirled around in his knees, locating me still with my arm outstretched.

I blinked. Now that I could take a better look at him, he looked quite odd. He had a HUGE scar across his face, and his eyes were of different colors. One gold, one silver. He also had an old-looking light blue scarf around his neck.

"Who the hell are you?" The guy looked at me wearily as he stood up.

"My name is Espectro, and you are?"

"... My name isn't something you need to care about. But, thanks for saving me." He looked towards the place where the Marine disappeared. "Gotta go now."

 _Fuck, I better follow him._

"Wait, where are you guys docked? I want to join your crew."

The guy looked at me in silence -dude those eyes were weird as hell- and then said: "... You better speak to our captain then."

"You're not going anywhere!" Suddenly, the Marine I thought I had knocked out emerged from a small mountain of rubble and stomped his way towards us, brandishing his black broadsword again. I thought it was a trick of the lightning, but when I saw a flicker of blue flames I blinked. What the fuck was that?

"Just let us go, Yuuto." The blond guy at my side had a fighting stance with a rusty katana on his hand (how the fuck will he fight against him with that weapon?, I wondered).

"You know him?" I whispered to him, raising my own Emberfists to my face.

"... Sort of."

But before anyone could do anything, a sudden gust of wind lifted us pirates in the air and we flew through the air, barely avoiding the collision with the building roofs. When we finally stopped, I landed on my butt while the other guy's back collided with a stone wall. My head spinning, I shook it and looked around to see we were in the harbor, with Luffy and the others also nearby.

"Koga!"

I stood up and dusted myself off while Luffy, Zoro and Sanji caught up with the blond guy -whose name apparently was Koga. Then the three stopped when they saw me.

"Who are you?"

I look up and see Luffy is talking with me, while Zoro, Sanji and Koga are looking at me with suspicion. Let´s get the teatricals going.

"I am Espectro, and you Monkey D. Luffy, have a destiny I want to make sure becomes real. So, can I join your crew?"

Luffy looked at me and said: "Sure! You helped us escape the Marines, so you gotta be a friend!"

However, before I could say anything, I realized that the Merry was getting away.

"Luffy!"

Oh, that´s Nami-OH SHIT LUFFY IS STRECHTING ALREADY.

"Gomu Gomu no...!

This is going to hurt.

"ROCKET!"

As Luffy shoots towards us and tackles us, i can see the Marines running towards the port, and a man in a cloak standing on a roof.

And then, we hit the ship and everything goes black ONCE FUCKING MORE.


	3. An explanation, and the joining

**CHAPTER 3**

 **-Stu: Hello, fellow pirates! SHSL Student here with the next chapter of The Second Reaper. Once again I must ask forgiveness for how long it takes for this fanfic to be uploaded, but I just started school so I can't write as much as I want. Also, both me and Lara were on vacations.**

 **-Lara: (moans) I hate planes...**

 **-Stu: Yeah, i get you... Well, like always, we only own our OC´S.**

* * *

When I woke up, it wasn't in the Going Merry, but rather, a bar. It was a normal, everyday bar, but there were some things that called my attention.

1: The Velvet Room's song was playing in the background.

2: Ember was the bar(wo)man.

3: Death was drinking tea.

"Where the hell am I now?"

Death had the answer to said question. "We're inside your soul... To be specific, the part of it that's made to have others in it. The Visitantes that come by and the many Fantasmas living within it. "Visitantes" are the greater powers, like me, when we visit your soul. "Fantasmas" are the beings that reside in your living weapons, accesories, etc."

"So... I'll end up with a Soul-Bar filled with others? Hm, I can't complain, never liked solitude anyway..." I stood up, and started walking around. "Hey, Ember. Can I have some Root Beer?"

Ember stared at me, and with a sigh, gave me one.

"Something wrong?" I asked as I took the bottle.

A moment passed, and she looked at me with a disappointed face. "You have an entire bar at your disposal and you ask for Root Beer."

I laughed, and turned to Death, sipping my Root Beer in delight. "So, why call me here? And what do you mean, greater powers?"

Death didn't answer for a moment, regarding me for a few minutes before saying: "I'll answer the second question first. The other powers would be Life, Time, Space, etc. Actual gods, not like Eneru, that faking a***." I blinked at that blatant insult. "And I called you here to explain what is your job as my ambassador. Your task is to help souls pass on to this side as you know, but you don't know why. There's a presence, a being that looms over the spirits of the dead, hungry for their energy. His name can't be said, for just a whisper can summon his minions. Your job is to help souls avoid him, and bring them to me, so I may keep them safe. That is your way of paying me back for saving you. However, if the spirit wants to stay with you, they will reincarnate into a new being. The old one will... fade, so to speak, and the new one will appear. It's odd and does not happen that much... but The Fates have told me you may be the exception."

 _Wow... So eventually I could end up in the Monster trio? Awesome! But... a being that powerful... could be bad to fight._ I thought, before frowning. _Ah, I almost forgot._

"Before I forget... Who the hell is that Koga guy? He wasn't in the anime or the manga."

Death looked at me in total seriousness at the question.

"He, along with many other things, are differences that will be happening in this world. I could not send you to the "original" world, so I chose the next best thing. However, the only thing I can say about him is... Be careful. He is not what he looks like. I don't mean that in the "He will betray you" sense... It's more like a feeling that his past marked him... And what a mark that is..." I raised an eyebrow, wondering if that last part had been directed at himself and not at me.

Suddenly, the world shook, almost throwing me off balance. Funny how Death continued sipping on his tea calmly.

"Oi! What's going on?!"

Death and Ember looked up at the invisible ceiling, and then Ember glanced at me.

"I think you're waking up, Blue. Have a nice day!"

And suddenly, I wake up, in what I could see was the Merry's infirmary. I had a splitting headache, but nothing else, thankfully.

"Well, at least I managed to get on the ship. I hope the others didn't somehow convince Luffy I should _not_ join. That would SUCK." I commented aloud to myself, groaning as I incorporated and swung my legs over the side of the bed.

Just when I stood up, another violent shake followed by a thunder blasting outside almost made me fall atop the bed again. Glancing outside from the small window, I could see nothing but a raging storm brewing outside, and the frantic Mugiwara crew running up and down, trying to keep the Merry afloat and not capsize.

 _Maybe I should lend a hand._

After making sure I had everything on me, I threw open the infirmary door and instantly became drenched in rainwater as I almost blindly ran to Sanji and an extremely loose rope. The cook seemed surprised for a moment at my sudden appearance and the fact that I was helping them.

"What, you think I'm so eager to die in this storm?!" I yelled at him, yanking on the rope with gritted teeth. He narrowed his visible eye at me, but kept silent.

Much to our relief, soon the storm quietened and the seas calmed down. I sighed in relief, enjoying the warm sun for a few minutes before noticing the entire crew gathering around me.

Including the Koga guy, who still eyed me in suspicion, as well as Zoro and Sanji.

"Who are you?" Nami asked, closing her arms over her chest in mistrust.

 _Well, let's hope I can convince them._

"I am Espectro, and it's a pleasure to meet the infamous Straw Hats." I saluted them with two fingers on my forehead. "I have been a fan of yours since I heard about how you beat corrupt Marines and some of the worst pirates this side of the Red Line, like Arlong, for example. And, as I told to the Marines at Loguetown, your captain's destiny is too big to be stopped, so I want to join your crew so I can help him make it true."

That seemed to not convince the majority, as they glared at me with suspicion; well, except Luffy, who was looking at me with an ear-to-ear smile.

"Yeah, you can be a nakama!"

Fuck. _Yeah_.

Nami, however, was not having any of Luffy's idiocy.

"Goddammit Luffy!" She growled, bonking her captain's head. "You can't take anyone you want as a nakama! We barely know anything about this guy!"

Luffy pouted and looked over at her, whining as he rubbed the bump on his head.

"But Namiiiiiiii! He helped us escape the Marines!"

At that moment, Koga also said something in my defense... I think?

"As little trust as I have in this guy, I have to say that he helped me out too when I was in trouble. Besides, he has some sort of fire powers, and that could be useful."

At that, Ember manifested herself at my side, curiously looking over at the crew with her blonde head tilted to the side. And something very unexpected happene: Koga's eyes widened, just for a second, but I somehow managed to see it before his façade came back.

"You can see her, then?" I asked in curiosity. Strange, I had thought only me was able to see Ember.

Nami and the rest of the crew, except Koga of course, looked at me like if I was nuts.

"There's no one else here. What are you talking about-"

The scarred guy interrupted her however. "There's someone else. A girl. Just beside him."

 _I think I should make your presence known, Ember._

'Yeahhhh I think you should, before they kick you out for being crazy.'

"That would be the spirit lying in these." I lifted my hands and did jazz hands.

Usopp, who suddenly looked scared, spoke up at that moment while hurrying in hiding behind Zoro.

"S-S-Spirit?! What if it tries to take our souls?!"

 _Pft, as much of a scaredy-cat as always..._

"Calm down, she can't do that. She is simply the mind these beauties have. Also, she can throw fireballs."

At that, Luffy suddenly got closer to me, eyes shaped like... stars.

 _Holy shit, that is so weird..._

"Fireballs?! I want to see!"

 _The captain wants a show? A show I shall give._

I walked to the back of the ship, not wanting to damage anything; everyone followed after me, hands in their weapons. Minus Luffy, who was of course too excited to notice anything.

"Ahem. PYRO BALA!"

I punched the air, and a bullet-shaped fireball shot out of my glove and into the sea, harmless but raising a path of steam in its wake.

"SO COOOOOL!" Both Luffy and Usopp yelled with starry eyes.

"Right?" I laughed, and then got Blue Rose out of it´s holsters, raising up. "I also have this to help me out too. I'm very able to hold my own in a battle."

"That remains to be seen." Koga groaned, hand no longer on the hilt of his weapon but still regarding me coldly. He then threw a sideways glance to Luffy. "It's your call, Luffy. You're the captain after all."

And with that, he turned on his heels and began walking towards the deck.

"Where are you going?" Usopp asked in confusion as the crew and I watched him walk away.

"Idiot, the logbook won't be uploaded on its own." He waved a hand dismissively.

I frowned. That guy was too mysterious. Thanks to the anime and manga, I was able to know how each of the Mugiwaras would react to what I say or do; but, since that guy didn't even appear in either one of them, he was practically unreadable for me.

Then a thought occurred to me.

 _Ember, could it be that Koga is just like me? Like, a guy coming from another universe? And how is it that he can see you? I thought I was the only one who could do that._

'I don't know about that. And about him being able to see me... Remember what Death said?'

 _'He's not what he looks like'. Yeah, I remember it. But what-_

'If you're going to stay with the Mugiwaras, then you'll have plenty of time to ask that sort of questions to Koga himself later on.'

 _Huh. Okay._

I didn't like being left in the dark, but I couldn't do anything about it, unfortunately.

"So, what do we do, Luffy? As Koga said, you're the captain." Sanji lit up a new cigarette.

The Mugiwara captain blinked at his nakama. "What do you mean? I already made him our nakama."

Nami groaned and slapped her palm against her forehead.

"Idiot." She mumbled, before straightening and looking at me with all the intensity of her glare. "Alright, Espectro, now you're a part of the crew. You already know Luffy, our captain, and Koga, the chronicler. This is Zoro, our swordsman, Sanji-kun the cook, and Usopp the sniper. I'm Nami, the navigator."

"Nice to meet you all!" I smiled, trying to ease their suspicion about me.

"Well, lunch will be in a few minutes." Sanji pointed at the deck with his thumb. "We'll give you a tour around the Merry later."

Taken aback by that kindness, I blinked. "Well, thanks."

"Don't get too used to it though. If you were a woman I'd give a tour ten times over if necessary." Oddly, the smoke coming from his cigar started to take a heart-like shape before Nami bonked him in the head.

"You'll get used to it." She said at me waving a hand and walking off too.

As Usopp and Zoro left behind her, the swordsman glaring at me over his shoulder as if checking me out before turning the corner, I couldn't help but to smile in excitement. I was part of the Mugiwara crew!

 _Let's see how everything fares, shall we, Ember?_

'You bet! I'm already excited!'


	4. Liar, Liar

**CHAPTER 4**

 **-Stu: Hello, pirates and demons from the world! Stu and Lara here with another chapter of The Second Reaper.**

 **-Espectro: Hey, don't forget about me!**

 **-Stu: What are YOU doing here? Go back to the ship, dammit!**

 **-Espectro: Hey, we're the same person! Don't boss me around!**

 **(Stu and Espectro start fighting)**

 **-Lara: ... Why can't those two just get along peacefully?**

 **-Koga: *sigh* These idiots... Espectro and I are the only thing Stu and Lara own. Go on, read the story. (Tries to separate Stu and Espectro, while Lara merely watches from the distance.)**

The kitchen of the Merry had something really cool about it. It smelled like HEAVEN. Sanji's cooking must be truly god-worthy if this smell was anything to go by.

 _Damn, I'm hungry!_

"So pray tell us, Espectro, what's your history?" Nami asked, looking at me with mistrust, while Zoro and Koga glared at me.

I blinked, caught by surprise. But then I had a feeling... Like something (or someONE) was telling me what to say. A slight pressure in my brain that commanded me to speak those words...

"Well, where to start?" I crossed my arms over my chest with a serious expression on my face. "I used to live in this little town called Shirosora town. My father was the mayor and my mother the secretary, and I had 2 little sisters... It was a lonely life, since kids were jealous of me for being the richest kid in town, which ended up in me never having any friends..."

As the words flooded through my mouth, my expression turned sore. What kinda background was this guy giving me?

"However... I lost everything when some... monsters, destroyed my home. They killed the entire town. My family included. I got revenge however, because I found these." I lifted the gauntlets up. "They were in the home of the blacksmith that lived in the town... the man had weird abilities. He had made these, and put the soul of his daughter in them, the blonde you saw beside me, Koga. She can't be seen by anyone else besides us. After I got her, I went and slayed all of the monsters. I was... 18, at that moment, and I've been wandering for 7 years after that, eventually ending up here, telling some of my story."

There was an uncomfortable silence after that. The crew looked at me with a mixture of feelings, from suspicion still to sadness and sympathy, with some taints of fear -curtsy of Usopp, who had begun to tremble at the mention of monsters.

As for me, the words and their implication left a heaviness in my heart and mind that... bothered me, to put it mildly. Even if it was a complete and utter lie -or maybe precisely _because_ of it-, I didn't feel well. What if in reality this background belonged to someone else?

Also, monsters? Blacksmiths tying someone beloved's soul inside some weapons?

 _Even in One Piece, that sounds pretty sick... Scratch that, Moria did something similar._

I came back to the present as I noticed Nami fidget uncomfortably in her seat, looking at the others. As someone who lost her mother to some sick bastard fishman, I supposed she would be the first one in taking my side on this.

"I don't know guys, he seems legit to me..." Usopp scratched the back of his head, also not knowing what to do or say at that confession I just made.

Sanji lit up another cigarette. "I think everyone here has a pretty shitty background, but that doesn't serve as an excuse of looking for our sympathy."

I grimaced at that. He had a bit of a point in that. But I wanted to join not out of sympathy, but because I wanted to be there with them.

And then I saw Koga standing up, leaving the thick book he had been writing on. His strange eyes were shadowed by his hair.

"... The monsters you saw. How did they look like?" He asked in a low tone.

I felt the pressure at the back of my head again, and my mouth began forming words against my will.

"They... They were dark. No form. But had brilliant red eyes."

Koga's eyes widened, and I knew he knew what I was talking about.

"Demons." He spat, making me blink. "Those are the monsters."

"Like the demon you have in your katana?" Usopp asked, immediately covering his mouth at the murdering glare the chronicler sent him.

I just kept looking between them, not understanding just what was going on.

"... Your story is quite tragic." Koga continued, circling around the table and getting closer to me. He then sent me a glare from above, his bicolored eyes cold with suspicion. "But I have to say a couple of things about it."

 **SHINK!**

In a flash, he unsheathed his katana and pointed it at my face, mere millimeters from my nose. Wide-eyed, I froze, as well as the others.

"I don't know how you got that story set up, but _I sure know that it was a Goddamn lie._ " He growled. My whole body tensed.

 _How the HELL did he know that?!_

"From what I know, only Cursed people like me are able to use demon-possessed weapons, because I personally made a Contract with one. And the fact that I've been feeling that you were lying to us the whole time still makes me see you as suspicious. So forgive me if I don't lower my guard around you, but I won't tolerate liars; even more if he or she is going to become my crewmate, as Luffy had so stubbornly ordered." The blade grew closer, and I backed away, lightly bumping the back of my head against the wooden wall behind me. "So _Espectro_ , if that's your real name, _who are you_?"

I nervously lifted my gaze from the tip of his sword to him, then at the others who had gone silent. To my surprise, everyone, even Luffy, was looking at _me_.

Whoever this guy was, they trusted him a lot. But why? I get that I was the mysterious newbie, but damn, it wasn't like I was a threat to them. And how the hell did he know I was blatantly lying when I was telling the story? Was he a Goddamn human polygraph or something? Give me a break...

Slowly, I lifted my hands to my face, making Koga narrow his eyes at me.

"... Alright, I admit it: I lied. But I have a good reason to do so."

Koga scowled, along the rest of the crew; except Luffy, whose face I couldn't see under the brim of his hat.

Koga, then, asked me something that I knew would give me a hard time answering.

"Then, tell the truth. Or I will use this katana. And I assure, that is something you absolutely won't like."

I swallowed, then looked at everyone in the crew, and before I could open my mouth, a voice I knew quite well spoke up:

"He works for ME, Mr Koga, so I would deeply appreciate if you put that blade down and listen."

I opened my eyes wide when I saw a sliver of darkness behind them all; at my expression, everyone turned around, and the reactions were... expected.

In a flash, Luffy, Zoro and Sanji got ready for combat. Nami and Usopp started screaming and hugging each other ScoobyDoo-style.

"Heya, Boss. Care to help? Since I'm pretty sure it was you that made me lie."

The Grimm Reaper was standing there, hood down, showing the skull he had for a head. And his scythe was barely pressed against Koga's neck.

Who, meanwhile, was frozen in place, his mismatched eyes open wide.

"Hello, Mugiwaras." His otherwordly voice held a barely hidden sneer, as if he was secretly laughing at some sick joke. "I am Death. And this little ghost in front of you, Espectro, is my most important employee in this world. So, as you may understand, I can't allow you to hurt him."

Much to his credit, Koga didn't really freak out at the skull glaring at him with unseen eyes, but still he did appear quite shaken up.

"Don't hurt my nakama!" Luffy growled, cocking his fist back to send Grimm Reaper flying if necessary.

The chronicler had now a concentrated look on his face, seemingly no longer minding the scythe grazing the delicate skin of his neck.

"I wasn't going to kill him." His blade _slowly_ got away from my nose. "Even if I don't trust him, I wouldn't kill a fellow crewmate. I just want some answers, _sincere_ ones."

For a moment, the Grimm Reaper merely assessed him before removing his own weapon, promptly causing the others to lower their fighting stances with weary looks on their faces. The tension was still there, but at least it had lessened down.

At that moment, Luffy looked at me.

"Espectro, tell us the truth, please."

Everyone, including me, looked in shock at him. Luffy was being serious. After a moment, I eyed at Death, who merely raised his bony shoulders at my unasked question.

"(Sigh) As you heard, I work for Death. My mission is to guide the spirits of the Dead to him, to protect them from a being that devours them to keep himself alive." I said, with an evident disgust in my voice.

"Then wh-what are you doing here? We're still alive!" Usopp asked me, evidently terrified.

I laughed, earning some confused glances from the crew.

"Because I admire you for what you've all done so far, and for what you will do. And yes, that means I know, in a way, the things the crew will have to face, and some secrets that should be buried forever..." My voice quietened for a moment, but I shook my head, hands at the back of my neck in a nonchalant way. "But I won't tell, since no adventure is fun when you know what happens in advance, unless I deem it absolutely necessary."

"Or if I give him permission to tell." Death interrupted, going to stand at my side. "His presence is enough to perturb some of the future events, and him revealing events could also distort it more."

At that moment, Zoro looked at me.

"What we've done so far... So then, do you know about our pasts?"

I looked at him with a serious expression and nodded; I saw Sanji and Koga stiffen.

"Of everyone in the crew, but you, Koga, are the only exception."

He lifted an eyebrow.

"I come from a different world. There lives a man named Oda, or as his fans call him, "Goda", who is the author of a story about a boy with a straw-hat and his crazy adventures as a pirate." Everyone gaped at that, and I unfolded my hands and dropped them to my lap. "However, you, Koga, and anything related to you, do not exist in said story."

Instantly I wished I kept myself quiet. Koga's face turned sour, his mouth tightening in a firm line and glaring at me.

"So, because I didn't appear in that story you say, I wasn't meant to exist according to you?"

I winced, somehow not wanting to meet his bicolored eyes. Looking at it that way, it sounded pretty harsh.

"Neither was Espectro." Grimm Reaper then remarked. Everyone looked at him. "In the original story, neither of you was present, and that led to some... circumstances and occurrences. People died, wars happened. But... That changed the moment you both set afoot on this world, one way or the other. Destiny has been changed. Now the story doesn't belong to Eiichiro Oda, creator of the manga One Piece that made you all famous in Espectro's world. _You_..." He waved a bony hand at the entire crew, the seven of us. "You are now your own authors of your own story. Do with this liberty what you please."

And with that, he disappeared in a swirl of darkness


	5. The Animal Whisperer

**CHAPTER 5**

 **-Stu: Hello, pirates and demons from the world! Stu and Lara here with another chapter of The Second Reaper.**

 **-Lara: And as always, we own nothing except Koga, Espectro and future OC's.** **Enjoy~!**

Well, after that uncomfortable experience, we all sat down in the table and waited for Sanji to finish cooking.

Everyone was looking at me, Usopp in a very nervous way along with Nami, and Zoro, Koga, Luffy and Sanji were looking at me with curiosity. At least it wasn't mistrust anymore.

Koga then spoke up.

"So, what can you do? Do you have any powers?"

I looked at him and shrugged, helplessly.

"Honestly? I don't know. I was resurrected into this world rather recently. I know I can shoot fireballs, and my stamina and resistance are quite impressive. Also, I know how to box and I am able to aim and shoot a gun."

Usopp perked up at the word 'gun', much to my amusement.

"Can I see it?"

I nodded taking Blue Rose out of its holster and handing it to the official sniper.

"It's a weapon from my world. Or well, a version of it. It has double barrels and triggers. Also the barrels are modified to reduce recoil among other things."

Usopp was amazed by the gun, twisting it around and muttering things under his breath as he analyzed the strange weapon in his hands.

"Just in case, you'd better practice your aim with Usopp." Nami pointed out. "I'm not really thrilling to take you to combat and find a bullet at my face because you think you're able to aim."

Usopp and I talked about modifications in pretty much anything for a little while, until Nami spoke again.

"Do you have any non-combat abilities?"

Shrugging, I took a moment to think.

"Well... I can cook, make voices pretty well, sew, I am good at riddles and also, I am stupidly good at holding my shit together in tense situations. And I can't get drunk."

Zoro laughed. "Sewing?"

I look at him, one eyebrow raised. "I can help patch the sails."

Nami smiled at this, as does Usopp. The swordsman merely raised his shoulders nonchalantly, accepting it.

Sanji also spoke up from the back of the kitchen. "Well, since you can do a lot of things, can you help prepare the table? The food is almost done."

I got up, and went to the kitchen to help Sanji. He passed me some plates and vases and sent me to put them on the little table; as I did so, I decided to ask some things to Koga, as he was the only one among the Mugiwaras that I didn't know a thing about.

"So, Koga, I heard Nose-Boy say you had a Demon in your katana." I ignored Usopp's protest at the -honest- friendly insult and looked at him as I put a plate and vase in front of him. "What's up with that?"

Koga glanced over at me with his head supported by his hand. "How are your gloves hosting one too?"

I sighed at his obvious refusal to answer. "She isn't a demon, she's a spirit. The gloves are sentient." As I said this, I took them off, and left them on the counter. After I finished helping out with the table, something quite odd happens.

The gloves started walking on their fingers.

"EEEYAAAH!" Usopp, the one first noticing it, let out an ear-splitting shriek. "THE SPIRIT!"

Alarmed, everyone turned to see the gloves practically _dancing_ on the counter, until I tilted my head.

"Huh. I didn't know she could do that."

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Luffy laughed... well, loudly. "That's fun!"

"Luffy, that's _not_ fun!" The long-nosed sniper roared, terrified, pointing at the moving gauntlets. "That's actually _scary_! Espectro, stop it!"

"C'mon Usopp, Ember's just messing with you all." I nonchalantly said, glancing up at the snickering blonde whose body was floating above the gauntlets, fingers moving at the gauntlets' compass... or the other way around.

I heard Koga hum, and when I looked over at him I saw the blond chronicler looking up at the girl with a curious look on his face. I still don't get why he had those strange eyes, but so far he seemed like a good guy. I mean hey, he suspected me but only because he was worried about the crew, so good enough for me I suppose!

After I got my gauntlets back on (and telling Ember to behave) I sat back down on the table just in time to have Sanji's awesomely delicious food. I barely managed to protect my food from Luffy, much to my amusement, but soon realized that my stomach was full after a few mouthfuls of the fish. I tried to eat more but my stomach hurt after that, as if I was trying to fill an already about-to-explode tank.

'Well you're practically dead, Espectro! Of course you wouldn't need as much food as a living person.' Ember said in my head. 'Probably you won't need to drink or sleep as much as the others either.'

I grimaced. That actually had its plus, but not being able to enjoy Sanji's food as much as I wanted kinda sucked. I had to explain this to the cook when he saw me not eating anymore, and though certainly displeased of not having eaten all of what he had put me, the blonde simply shrugged and passed the grubs to Luffy. Of course, the glutton just had to gobble it all up immediately.

Koga finished his food and stood up, taking the thick logbook with him. "Thanks for the meal."

"Where are you going?" Usopp asked as he helped Sanji with the dishes and taking them to the sink.

"To take a nap. I'm tired." And with that, he got out of the cabin, closing the door softly behind him.

As I looked around, I noticed the crew still with their eyes fixed on the door, worried expressions on their faces. Well, Sanji, Zoro and Luffy didn't have them, but still looked over with a slightly more serious expression.

"Something's up with him." Nami suddenly commented, brows furrowed. Sanji made a sound of agreement, puffing out smoke from his mouth.

I instinctively bit my lower lip. I'd have loved to go after Koga and know about him more (considering he's the only one out of all the Mugiwaras I don't know a single thing about), but that comment the navigator made changed my mind.

 _Maybe THEY can tell me something._

"Um... So he's not like this?" I spoke up, attracting the others' attention.

"Not at all!" Usopp exclaimed, crossing his hands behind his head. "He's serious, but not _that_ serious. He really surprised me when he pointed his katana at your face. He normally doesn't do that. Heck, this is the first time I've seen him so aggressive towards a stranger, liar or not!"

"Well he certainly didn't point a sword at _you_ when we met you." Nami grinned, and the long-nosed teen paled. Surely he thanked now that his lies weren't as believable as mine.

"Speaking of which, I'm surprised he got me through my lies. And here I thought I was a good actor!" I stood when the others did, getting out of the cabin.

"Well, Koga's got a really accurate intuition." Nami explained, her face suddenly somber. "Up until now, all of them have been right. He even admitted to me that the only time he didn't listen to his instinct, a dear friend of his ended dead."

I flinched. Damn, _that_ must have hurt a lot.

But then I blinked. Accurate intuition? Could it be Haki? No, that couldn't be; from what I remembered, it only detected the enemy's bloodlust and killing intent. It didn't work as a polygraph, as far as I knew.

I decided to change the topic.

"When did he join? I know all about you guys, but I don't have a single clue about him..."

I almost didn't notice Sanji tense up slightly behind all the others, having just gotten out of the kitchen, and Zoro flash a glare at me from the corner of his eye from his slumped position at the railing ready for a nap. But I knew about their pasts, and so I ignored them.

"Well, he joined at Shellstown according to Luffy and Zoro." Usopp pointed at the swordsman with his thumb. "He had been working as a waiter before Luffy talked to him about his dream of becoming the Pirate King, and he decided to join as his chronicler. Told something about his dream of writing the best chronicle ever written, if I remember correctly."

"Oh!" Luffy exclaimed, almost giving me a heart attack at the sudden shout (now that I think about it, _could I_ die from a heart attack? Technically I was dead, but...).

"What is it, Luffy?! Don't shout at our ears so suddenly!" Nami roared, raising a fist.

"Espectro, what is your dream?" He grinned excitedly at me, and I suddenly blinked.

"Me? Well I... to explain my dream, I first have to explain how I got into this world."

As I say that, Usopp's hand shot up.

"I wanted to ask about that. How DID you... resurrect, was what you said?"

I frowned, and grimaced as I felt the pain of the bullets in my chest again. My hand went there and rubbed it, as if it would make the pain go away.

"I got shot twice in the chest."

Everyone paled at that, and gasps of horror were heard. Nami, completely horrified, spoke then.

"Bu- But you're here talking to us!"

I looked at everyone. This time Zoro wasn't even pretending to be asleep, and Sanji had walked over to our little group to listen.

"Put a hand in my chest and search for a heartbeat."

After looking around, Nami did it, and the moment she realized I'm serious, recoiled from me in a mix of horror and surprise, her eyes wide.

"It's- It's not beating. His heart isn't beating."

Everybody's mouths fell open.

I laughed, trying to ease the sudden tension, and I could hear in my mind Ember joining me.

"I really was expecting that kind of reaction, but I really don't care that much. I mean yeah, my family and friends are going to be sad, but I know they'll get over it." I smiled softly at that. "And besides, I get to be a Straw Hat! Although..." My face darkened once again. "I didn't really have a dream back at my world."

I turned around and looked at the sea. Beautiful. Endless.

"But now that I'm here?" I continued. "I just want to enjoy my afterlife to its fullest. And avoid certain events that happen and that I won't reveal. Besides that, I may try to help everyone by explaining some of the techniques you developed as the series went along. Right now, I have like two years worth of knowledge of the events surrounding this crew. Well, knowledge that does not include me, Koga, and whatever other change that may happen due to our presence as the Reaper said."

"Wait!"

Luffy's exclamation made me turn around, just to find him looking at me with a serious expression on his face.

"What is it Luffy?" I asked in confusion.

"I don't wanna hear anything!" He replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Eh?" I could only blink at that.

"I don't wanna hear about techniques, or what will happen!" He protested, stomping the planks with his foot in an almost childish manner. "Where is the adventure in knowing what will happen next? I want adventures!"

I felt my face sober at that. True, the Luffy I knew wouldn't listen to a word regarding the future. Even so, I thought Ace's death could be avoided, and certain battles (like the CP9's at Enies Lobby or the one against Oz in Thriller Bark) could have been easier if they have known their techniques earlier.

But then, I thought about what Reaper implied. Koga's and my presences would certainly change things. That meant, maybe some canon things _wouldn't_ happen in this timeline. The problem was, _which things_? And what would remain unchanged?

"However I still want to make you stronger." I muttered, my face extremely serious. "I don't want to spoil your enjoyment, Luffy, I really don't, but I also want to avoid things to happen. I won't say them if you want, but at least let me help you."

Luffy's face scrunched up in the funniest attempt of seriousness I've ever seen on his face, but I didn't laugh. The topic was extremely serious for laughter right now.

"Okay, but only when I tell you to." He conceived.

I begrudgingly nodded.

 _It should be enough._

Then I remembered what we were talking about before the conversation drifted to me.

"So then, returning to Koga!" I clapped my hands, almost making Usopp and Nami jump. "Is there anything else you can tell me about him?"

Both sniper and navigator shared a look as Sanji pointed out from behind them:

"Not that I don't trust you, but you're being a bit too insistent on knowing him."

I blinked innocently. "Why not? He's the only one I actually _don't_ know out of all of you!"

He opened his mouth, frowned, and closed it again. His visible eye narrowed, evaluating me once more.

"Good point." Nami sighed. "Well, it's not much we know about him. He was born in an Autumn Island in the Grand Line. He's strong, pretty quiet, it's almost impossible to hide anything from him because of those intuitions of his, and has a demon as a weapon. Oh, and he's a Devil Fruit user! According to him, it enhances pretty much everything he wants. Though we heard about it recently."

"Huh?" I blinked at the navigator.

"He admitted he had eaten one after we defeated Arlong." Nami flashed a look at me. "You know about that, I suppose..." At my silent nod, she continued. "It's so strange to have someone who knows everything without having to explain it to them... Well, Koga said he didn't want to trust us, and that was why he didn't tell us about the Devil Fruit."

I tilted my head to the side.

 _He fears to be betrayed then_. I thought, catching up instantly. It wasn't difficult, but the question was _why_.

"Oh, and let me give you a word of advice." Usopp leaned forwards and muttered conspiratorially. "I recommend you _not_ to touch Koga's scarf. It's his treasure."

"Like... Luffy's straw hat, or Zoro's katanas?" I asked unnecessarily.

"Yup. At Arlong's, he became a complete _monster_ when a fishman stole it from him." He shivered. "I wouldn't want _that_ to happen again."

"Really?" Luffy looked over at his sharpshooter.

"Oh, that's right, you were drowning when _that_ happened."

I put a hand under my chin, analyzing what they had just told me as the others conversed around me. So apparently, Koga was much like Zoro, a quiet guy with a demon (literally) and a Devil Fruit. Sounded like a pretty powerful guy. And from the Grand Line, so that certainly would be useful for us.

 _I wonder what his past is..._

I snapped out of my thoughts when Usopp insisted on giving me a tour, though I pretty much knew already about the Merry. He showed me, however, rooms I've never seen before, and I enjoyed discovering those small tidbits Oda didn't show us in the manga. When we climbed up the crow's nest, I discovered the place littered with things Usopp told me were Koga's; he told me the chronicler also played the role of lookout because he rather enjoyed staying up there.

After the little tour, I stayed playing with Luffy and Usopp -the latter and I also talking about my gauntlets and my precious Blue Rose- until some time in the afternoon, Luffy decided he was hungry, and looked over the sea to look for food. Seeing as Sanji refused to make dinner earlier than he had planned to...

Usopp pointed him to a flock of birds, and when our captain stretched his arm and snapped it back (dragging something behind and knocking Zoro to the sea, making me the one to 'fish' him aboard) we all looked over to see that it was a girl.

And as everyone looked at each other in confusion and Luffy whined about the girl not being food, I smirked. I would've recognized that girl everywhere. Small, with a yellow dress, a dark maroon sash and underskirt, a pointy white hat and red shoes; she had blond-brownish hair tied back in a very thin braid and fair skin. She looked sick and exhausted.

Apis.


	6. Marines!

CHAPTER 6

After taking the unconscious Apis to the kitchen, Sanji asked me to help him with cooking. The rest of the crew were chatting with each other and Usopp was sent to fetch Koga, so no one was paying attention to us.

As we are preparing the food, I notice him looking nervous as he chopped on a vegetable.

"Um, Sanji? Is something wrong?"

He looked at me and frowned.

"How much do you know about my past? And tell me the truth."

I sighed, evading his piercing glare and washing the rest of the veggies.

"Not much. I know bits and pieces, but the biggest thing I know is your surname and slightly about what your family has done. Not everything of course, but I suppose it's more than the rest knows."

I saw him from the corner of my eye nervously chewing on his cigarette, obviously not knowing what to say to me.

"I won't tell, if that's what's worrying you." I smiled at him, hoping it looked calm and reassuring. "I'm not a loudmouth; this is a private matter. When you're prepared to tell, we'll listen. You know that, right?"

His visible eye widened before snorting and going back to business. "If you understand that, then it's fine."

I snickered and passed him the clean veggies. "Well, I wouldn't want to be on your bad side. You're a monster with your feet anyways."

"If you're not disrespectful with the food and the ladies, you're good. Put the pot on the fire, will ya? I'm almost done over here."

"Oh, yeah."

As I heard Luffy whine behind us because of hunger, I filled the pot with water and put it on the fire, earning a grateful nod from Sanji. I smirked and went back to the table, noticing Koga already there and watching the girl with narrowed eyes.

"Hey, Koga. Are you okay?"

Blinking in surprise at being caught, he looked at me and then frowned.

"Yeah, everything's okay."

He's lying.

 _'Yeah, I noticed, Ember. Thanks._ '

I shrugged, and started to keep helping Sanji out with the food. He even felt like sharing with me some tricks with the food; nothing too fancy, but it felt great having something to talk about.

As we both finished making the soup, Nami asked me if I knew anything about what was going on. I only nodded in response, not wanting to reveal anything just yet.

A few minutes later, I heard dual bonks, and Apis's and Usopp's pained voices. I went up to them, and looked at Apis with a smile. She gaped a bit at how tall I was, I noticed.

"Well, looks like our unexpected guest is up. Sanji, is the food ready?"

He nodded while expertly stirring the soup. The girl looked around and then grinned to herself in excitement.

"Lucky!" She muttered to herself.

"You really are lucky." The navigator confirmed kindly. "What's your name?"

Suddenly, suspicion surrounded the girl as she frowned. "It's polite to give your names before asking a stranger questions."

"You're right." Nami conceived after a few dumfounded seconds, before signaling to herself with her thumb. "I'm Nami. The guy making the soup is Sanji, and the guy with the scarf at my side is Koga." Sanji waved in greeting and Koga only glared at her. "That's Zoro over there." She continued, pointing at the sleeping swordsman against the wall opposite to the bed. "Despite his scowl, he's a good guy."

"Shut up." Zoro grunted, not even opening his eyes.

"The tall guy is Espectro, our newest crewmate who still doesn't have an official job in the crew."

I waved at Apis with a smile from my position beside Sanji, whom shyly waved back, most likely surprised at my height, since after measuring myself a little, I found out my height now was a little over 250 cms, making almost as tall as Corazon.

"And you've already met Usopp."

Already recovered from their collision, he waved at her, but still having a large bump on his forehead that he nursed with small tears on his eyes.

Luffy assessed the girl for a moment before one of his trademark grins appeared on his face. And then he said the phrase.

"I'm Luffy, the captain of this pirate ship!"

...

It only took a few seconds for Apis to understand the implications of that simple sentence, and in slow motion I watched her expression begin to change. Horrified, she opened her mouth to scream bloody murder...

Of course, I didn't hear anything because I had long put my hands over my ears. Same with Koga, I noticed.

' _His intuitions serve him to know this kind of things too? Man that is useful._ '

Sanji came over holding the pot of soup -that smelled deliciously, as every food he prepared.

"Well, food's ready. Do you want some?" He smiled warmly at the child, but scowled lightly as he saw Apis furiously shaking her head in a negative response.

We sat down and ate (or tried to, considering Luffy trying to steal everything in his sight). After eating, Koga stood and left once more, saying he would go and keep updating the logbook. Man, that's a dutiful guy; unless he was avoiding everyone, not sure what option was more probable.

We decided that Apis would stay in the kitchen to stay the night, and I followed the men to our quarters to rest after bidding Nami a good night. I didn't see Koga once down, but Sanji waved his hand dismissively, saying he was probably at the crow's nest writing in the logbook again. I frowned, wondering if that happened very often, but decided to let it be.

As night passed on, I discovered that I didn't need to sleep that much either, as Ember told me earlier. Two or three hours of sleep and I was already awake, glaring at the hammock above me (empty; I supposed it was Koga's, or one of the future crewmates). Usopp's sleeptalking and the others' rather loud snores didn't help me get back to sleep either, so I just sighed soundlessly and sneaked out of the room barefooted, intent on at least catching some free air and (maybe) having a small talk with our friend Koga. If he wasn't already asleep, that is.

So, with that intention I got out of the room and stretched my arms high above my head with a satisfied hum. Man the salty air at night felt completely different than at daylight.

Wanna have a conversation with Koga? Ember said in my mind.

'Yeah. It's useful to have info about him too.'

Well, good luck with that. Seems a bit distant to me.

'I can be pretty insistent.'

Things can go badly if you insist too much, Blue. More if it's him. Be careful what you say.

I frowned, but chose to let it be and climbed up the rope ladder to the crow's nest. I distinguished the mop of light blond hair over the railing before I even saw his face. I smiled as I saw him looking up at the starry sky with an absentminded expression, seemingly not having heard me climb at all.

"Enjoying the night?" I snickered as he almost jumped in fright. He looked pretty stoic to me, so I fully enjoyed his reaction while I could.

Koga breathed in relief when he saw it was only me. "It's only you." He then frowned. "Not going to sleep either?"

"Meh, seems I don't really need it as much as you guys." I sat upon the railing (seeing the crow's nest's floor was full with notes I assumed were all his). "Something eating your mind? The others told me that you're... different. From how you usually are, I mean."

He narrowed his unique eyes at me, apparently trying to figure me out.

"... I always have something eating my mind. Not your business anyways."

I sighed, ruffling my hair. 'This is going to be hard.'

"Yeah, but if we're going to be crewmates, I think it's only logical we know a bit about each other, right?" He didn't answer. "Look, I can tell that you had a rough past, at the very least. I won't ask, if you don't want to tell, you have your motives. But that doesn't mean I can't tell you about mine, right? Ask away."

Koga looked at me, mismatched eyes narrowed.

"How did you die?"

I winced and rubbed my chest. That sure was a way of being direct.

"Bullet wounds. Two to the chest."

His frown deepened, but continued asking.

"How did you end up at Logue Town?"

I told him about the room I woke up in, and my deal with the Reaper. It was the first time I told someone about this; not even the other Mugiwaras knew about it all. Though, they didn't bother to ask anyways.

As I finished telling him, his glare was still in place, but I could notice interest in his eyes underneath that harshness. That calmed me down a bit.

Tired of being questioned (I climbed up here to know about him, not the other way around) I managed to change the subject.

"Koga... You were glaring at Apis this morning. Are you really okay?"

"... It's nothing you should worry about."

I frowned, and Koga looked at me in the eye.

"Tell me about the future of the crew. I promise I won't tell Luffy."

At first I thought in not answering, but then I grinned.

"Who says I wasn't going to? Luffy only prohibited me to tell HIM about our future." I crossed my arms over my chest. "What do you want to know?"

He averted his eyes, directing his gaze to the moon.

"Will anyone ever betray us?"

I blinked, then frowned.

"Never. Or at least, as far as I know, any allies the Mugiwaras have never even dream of betraying them. All because Luffy has that air of... something. But I have a theory about that. And please, NEVER tell him I told you this."

He looked at me again, curiosity in his face at my tone.

"I think he might be the reincarnation of Gol D. Roger."

Incredulous, I saw him lift an eyebrow at that.

"What?"

I nodded, all serious.

"Yeah, man. For what was shown in the story, Luffy and Roger are so alike, even Roger's crewmates (or at least the ones we will come across) see him as the perfect successor for Roger. And also... he already has the crown."

At that, Koga's eyebrows went even higher, hiding under his blond bangs of hair.

"What are you-?"

"Luffy's strawhat belonged to Shanks. The person that gave it to Shanks, or at least I think that's what happened, was Roger."

The chronicler now had a face of total surprise and incredulity. For a moment, I wondered if telling him that had been a wise decision; after all, it was only a theory. But then his face showed concentration as his hand scratched his stubble in thought.

"That means history is repeating itself. Twenty-two years after Roger's death, someone collects his last will and passes it to his heir... Interesting..." He muttered, almost to himself. He then smirked. "It's like living a version of Gol D. Roger's story, but with ourselves as protagonists. I wonder how everything will come out."

"Don't you wanna ask me?" I smiled mischievously, my hands going to the back of my head as I balanced on the railing. "After all, I know quite a few things."

His smirk vanished, substituted by seriousness once more. Man, did he ever chill up around anyone?

"As tempting as your offer is, knowing what happens doesn't mean it will happen no matter the situation. 'The future isn't written in stone,' I once heard. And..." He closed his eyes and let out a yawn, suddenly looking tired. "I recall Death saying something about both you and I influencing the future. The only worry I had was about someone betraying us." His face hardened. "Now that I know that, nothing else matters to me. Enemies, trials... Let them come, I do not fear them."

I blinked, surprised at his attitude that so much reminded me of Luffy. Now I had more curiosity than ever to know about him, but I doubted he'd answer any question. If not even Zoro and Luffy, who were the ones that first met him, hardly knew a thing about him, how little my chances were?

I was brought back to the present when he stood up and stretched, sighing as he raised his scarf to his face and grabbed the logbook with his other hand.

"I think I'll sleep now. The logbook's uploaded now." He said.

"Oh. Then I'll mount guard here. Good night, Koga!"

He blinked, apparently not used to someone bidding him goodnight, and then smirked.

"Night, Espectro."

I watched him get inside the men's quarters

'Well, the night is truly beautiful, so at least I'll be able to enjoy it!'

~A LONG time later~

Dear Goda, that was so BORING. At least tidying up the crows nest made time go slightly faster. Yawning, I stretched my arms over my head (hearing some pops in my back) and then watched the sun already high. Wow, I was that bored that I even missed dawn, huh.

'I'll go down and see if something has happened. If I remember correctly, Apis should be trying to-'

BOOM!

As I went down the rope ladder, an explosion shook the ship, and Apis stepped out from the kitchen, black smoke billowing behind her and all her body covered black too. Worried about the sudden explosion, the rest of the Mugiwaras came out from wherever they had been.

"What the hell was that?" Usopp asked, coming from behind Luffy.

I smiled as the little girl coughed and tried to wipe her clothes from dark substance. She explained with a hopeful smile that she had tried to make breakfast for everyone to thank us for saving her earlier.

"So come and eat what I've prepared!" She beamed a great grin that rivaled even Luffy's.

Most of the crew shared looks before shrugging and following after the girl. I snickered under my breath as I followed after Zoro.

'This should be damn funny.'

~5 Minutes later~

I actually had to restrain myself from laughing my ass off at the faces everyone was making at the "eggs" Apis prepared. For once, I thanked that I didn't have to eat as much as a normal human, or that food didn't kill me.

Or so I hoped.

Even so, I piped up with a huge grin as the others had uneasy smiles and tried to get away from eating.

"Well, Itadakimasu!"

Under the scrutinizing look of most of the crew (Luffy was already eating, of course) I grabbed my fork and ate one of the dark eggs, fully expecting to have my tongue melted... And instead, I found myself eating them with glee.

'Damn, this are really good?! How- Ember, did my having fire powers help?'

Yeah, if I had ice powers, I'm pretty sure it would have actually hurt to eat them.

"Guys, try them!" I smiled at Koga, Usopp, Zoro and Nami. "They're actually pretty good!"

"Please pray for me and tell Death that I'm a good guy when he sees me in the afterlife..." Usopp grumbled as he and the others shared a look and took a spoonful of the dark food.

My four crewmates' faces changed from a healthy pink to a deep blue in a blink of an eye, before opening their mouths screaming: "HOOOOOOOOOOOT!"

I couldn't help it. I promise I tried, but I couldn't help it. I roared in laughter as the four fought over the water jar -with Zoro winning and Nami punching him to retrieve it- as Sanji and Apis looked at them blinking in confusion. Man that was totally worth it!

But I felt bad for the girl as her face grew sad. "Was it that bad?"

"Nononono! Don't worry Apis-chan, I'm sure it's delicious!" Sanji tried to cheer her up before snarling at the others. "Come on you lot, keep eating!"

"With pleasure!" I laughed as I raised my spoon full of dark eggs. "You have to teach me your secret recipe, Apis, it's really delicious!"

She smiled weakly at me, but lost it when Usopp convinced Sanji to try the eggs... only to get his face turn blue as well. Apis looked up at him in worry.

"How is it?" The girl asked lowly.

I helped myself as the cook visibly swallowed and tried to smile at her- failing miserably.

"Uh- It's good but-"

"Don't lie shitty cook! It's disgusting!"

My spoon stopped halfway my mouth as Koga snarled that, disgust evident in his voice. No matter how you saw it, that had been plainly cruel. The other Mugiwaras, I noticed, looked surprised too as they shot looks at the chronicler. He groaned and rubbed his forehead with his hand.

"I'm sorry..." Apis's meek voice sounded then. "I only wanted to thank you all for rescuing me, but I'm not very good at cooking..."

I wanted to say something, anything, to solve this and to ease this unnatural tension, but something compelled me to keep quiet. Seeing the others glaring at him, Koga sighed before raising his scarf up to his nose and got out of the kitchen without saying anything.

I turned to Apis with an apologetic expression.

"Ignore him. He got attacked by a Marine some time before we found you." I quickly changed the subject. "Now that I think about it... Why were you on that boat?"

The others looked at me, curiosity in their faces, but didn't ask me anything.

"I was a prisoner of the Marines."

At that, everyone watched her; Nami, in particular, looked horrified.

"Why would the Marines want a little girl?!"

I frowned and shrugged at her subtle look at me.

"Well, either she has a really powerful Akuma no mi and the Marines wanted it for themselves, or she knows where is some sort of treasure. Am I wrong?"

Apis looked at me with surprise. 'Yes little girl, I know all about you.'

"Treasure~! A huge, incredible treasure~!"

Of course, Nami instantly had her berri eyes on at the mention of the cursed word.

'Dear Lord, those are creepier than the starry eyes Luffy grows when he sees something SUPEEERRRR cool, to quote Franky.'

At that moment, we hear Koga scream from outside.

"Marines!"


	7. Arrival

CHAPTER 7

L: We're so sorry for the delay! We had our lives to worry about, and exams are about to kill us!

AN: Me and Lara only own our respective OC's, although I might not own the weapon design of some of them, or the specific version I'm using (This will make sense later, trust me).

* * *

After we heard Koga scream from outside, the entire crew, including Apis, ran outside if wherever they were at the moment. As soon as Apis saw the Marine ships approaching us, she gasped in obvious terror.

"It's the Eighth Division! They're the ones that had me prisoner!"

I frowned, and started looking at the others. Everyone was on deck, except Koga, who was at that moment sliding down the rope ladder from the crow's nest (Hey, I wonder if he'd get mad if I started calling him Scarfed Crow...?). Luffy had curiosity shown on his face as to why the Marines were here ("Maybe they're after my bounty?").

Usopp was, for a lack of a better explanation, losing his shit.

"THE MARINES?!" He screamed, grabbing his head and almost leaving me deaf. "WHY DOES FATE HATE ME SO MUCH?!"

At this, I let out a loud laugh, and he instantly glared at me with murderous intention on his eyes.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LAUGHING ABOUT, DAMMIT?!"

I stopped laughing with some difficulty, and looked at him with a grin on my face:

"Well, I find it funny that you think this," I pointedly waved at the display of ships, "is bad. Wait and see, my long-nosed friend. Wait. And. See."

At this, the poor sniper deflated and cried in the ground, an aura of sadness and depression over him. I snickered and patted his shoulder in mock-consolation. Ignoring our shenanigans, Zoro spoke up as he assessed the enemies around them.

"Tch, we're getting surrounded... We'll have to fight if we want to leave."

At his side, Koga looked to the ships. His face only showed grim determination and something akin to suppressed frustration.

"I won't even need to use Sankaoken for this fight."

While Usopp and Nami screamed at them ("WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO?!"), I noticed Apis looking upwards, and as I followed her gaze, I saw some gulls flying above us, their cries almost completely drowned out by the sounds of cannons. We didn't have to worry about them fortunately, as Luffy was -so far at least- managing to bounce them back to the Marine ships with admittedly impressive skill.

"There's a gust coming..." Apis murmured, her big round eyes attentive, listening to the gulls.

Even among the ruckus of the cannons firing, Nami managed to hear her. She looked down at her with curiosity for a second, before noticing something in the atmosphere that made her gasp and start ordering us around so we could ride the wind and get the hell out of there. I saw Koga frowning in displeasure as he followed Zoro and helped him with the ropes. I couldn't watch him any longer as our navigator quickly got me to help too, though.

Just as we finished, the predicted gust pushed the Merry at incredible speed; we left the Marines behind extremely quickly. Though honestly, I couldn't wait to get the Thousand Sunny.

After everything settled down, I laughed loudly... And weirdly. "Sherarararara- The hell? Why am I laughing like that?"

Nami looked over at me, frowning. But not regarding my suddenly weird laugh.

"Why didn't you tell us about the Marine ships? Had it not been for that gust, we could have been in big trouble!"

I looked at her, feigning surprise and innocence on the matter.

"Besides of me being under Captain's orders? I knew we would get out of that."

Suddenly, Apis spoke up in a rather timid voice, almost inaudible.

"Umm... Excuse me, Espectro? How would you know about them before they appeared?"

I looked down at Apis, frowning. She didn't have that much importance in the canon, but honestly I preferred having the less people as possible knowing about me and my origins. Besides, it would only be confusing and I'd be branded as a weirdo. I'd have to lie to her, even if I didn't like it.

"Well, Apis," I smiled broadly, kneeling down next to her and patting her hat, "that's because I can see glimpses of the future, but only a few seconds of it."

Her eyes widened at me with wonder in them, making me feel slightly guilty about lying to her. I still managed to keep a convincing grin on though.

"WOW! Really?! That's so awesome!"

At this, Luffy piped up from his usual spot at the figurehead, grinning like the usual idiot he was. "Hey, maybe you can be our psychic!"

I had to restrain breathing in relief as he didn't mention my real origin. And about being a psychic... Admittedly, I preferred being the watcher, but apparently Koga fulfilled that role as well as being the chronicler of the crew, so bummer for me. But...

"Let's get Apis home before we discuss my position in the crew. That okay, Captain?"

'After all, I don't really have psychic powers, but future knowledge.'

The straw-hat wearing kid adopted an amusing meditative face before shrugging. "Okay then! Let's get Apis home, everyone!"

"YEAH!" Everyone else, excluding Koga apparently, cheered with arms raised to the sky.

To the suddenly quiet, eerily still sky. The flag and the sails were flat with the lack of wind, and the rocking of the boat was non-existent as even the gentlest waves had calmed down. Around us, the sea had become a mirror of the sky, as immutable and not moving as a plate.

In the middle of the silent -and thoroughly confused- crew, my face suddenly became blank. Then I pointedly lowered my hand level to my face...

Smack!

Before my palm met with face with a resounding smacking sound and a low, deep groan.

'Man, of all the times, we get into this place NOW.' I desperately thought, before backpedaling in my assumptions. 'Well, maybe I couldn't have avoided it... We were going pretty fast after all... Right?'

... Somehow, seeing my employer giving me another thumbs-up in my head didn't settle my anxiousness. At all.

"... Oh fuck."

Of all the people, I was surprised that Koga would realize where exactly we were before all the others, even Nami. I watched him from between my fingers as our writer, pale as a sheet and scowl so deep it seemed to carve new wrinkles on his forehead, began looking around frantically. The others, either confused at his bad mouth or worried at his uncharacteristically nervous demeanor, could only look at him.

"What is it?" Usopp gathered enough valor to ask, albeit shakily.

My hand left my face, and I laughed, attracting everyone's attention immediately, shock and worry in their faces. "Sherarararara! This is gonna be fun!"

"We need to get out of here. Now!" Koga ignored me and went to Nami, seizing her shoulders and looking at her in the eye. "This is-!"

Boom!

Suddenly, the ship began shaking and threatening to throw us overboard, so we had to grab onto anything, between confused and frantic yells. Our redhead navigator looked over at Koga, then at me (for whatever reason, 'cause I didn't say anything), and then realization dawned on her, judging her shocked expression.

Though maybe seeing the dozen or so Sea Kings all around them was enough to understand.

"We're screwed!" She almost whined, tears beginning to stream down her face as she struggled to stand up on the shaking boat. "We've entered the Calm Belt! The part of the sea where nothing moves a muscle!"

"The what now?" Usopp parroted with a slightly trembling voice.

"It doesn't sound very dangerous to me." Zoro grunted, just as the Merry stopped shaking and we could all stand normally. Well, I still gripped the railing, 'cause I new what was going to happen next.

"We can wait 'til the wind blows again to get out of here, right?" A blissfully oblivious Luffy turned to Nami with that innocent question.

Before Nami or Koga could talk to (or smack) Luffy, I spoke -very quietly- from where I was crouching. "We can't. The Calm Lines are called that because there are no currents and the wind doesn't blow. And no, Zoro," I interrupted when the swordsman opened his mouth to say something, "we can't row our way out of the Calm Belt, we'll die before getting anywhere. And please, no one scream or be noisy no matter what. Because we are currently on the head of a Sea King."

My warning almost came too late though, as I saw Usopp taking a huge breath with a panicked face. Before he could scream though, I quickly covered his mouth with my hand. The long-nose glared at me with panicked eyes, but understood somehow that he had to be calm. As I released him, we nodded at each other, before I sighed.

"I wanted to avoid this," I muttered to myself, "but there's only one way of getting out that I know will work. Luffy, gimme your hand."

Luffy looked at me with confusion in his face, but eventually shrugged and lifted his hand. After I grabbed it, I walked to the side of the ship, and looking down -'Oh God, I just HAD to keep my vertigo, didn' I? Screw you, Grimm Bones'- I started rappeling towards the Sea King's nose while keeping a death grip on Luffy's hand. After reaching it, I grabbed one of the cleanest hairs, and whispering a quick apology, screamed at Luffy to pull as hard as he could.

YOINK!

Thankfully the rubber boy didn't question me, as he yanked at my arm as hard as he could... That meant almost getting my shoulder out of its socket by the way. The hair, which I had grabbed in my other hand, came out rather easily.

Inmediately, the acuatic monster started to sniff, and Luffy got me back onboard... with my butt meeting the planks. Once I was back on safe deck, Nami instantly punched me in the head -PAIN!- "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!"

Rubbing my head, I looked at her and grinned cheekily, only answering with one word. "Gesundheit!"

The navigator, along with everyone else, looked at me with confusion, until she finally registered the gigantic nose hair behind me. "YOU SON OF A BI-"

I interrupted her, leaping towards Merry's mast and quickly throwing rope lines to everyone. "Hold on to your everything!"

ACHOOO!

The loudest sneeze ever rang from the Sea King, and we went flying through the air. Panicked screams rang, but my and Luffy's laughter sounded the loudest, as the wind whipped our faces and threatened to throw us overboard for a few glorious minutes. The Merry, however, bounced once, twice, until it finally settled down on the East Blue safely, and us away from the Sea Kings. Thankfully.

"Sherarara! This is awesome!" I laughed as I felt the adrenaline somehow making my blood pump, literally making me feel alive again. With a giant smile on my face and letting go of the line that literally saved my life, I turned to the others.

Usopp and Nami were crying and holding each other, while Luffy had Apis grabbed, both of them laughing with me. Zoro and Sanji were insulting me and promising a lot of pain, and I swore I heard Koga screaming something at me from the crow's nest too.

"Come on, guys! Wasn't that fun?" I drew a smile as cheeky as I could with my hands behind my head.

"SCREW YOU ESPECTRO!" Half the crew roared, with the redhead going so far as to punch me again in the head, leaving a niiiiiiice bump that steamed from the force of the blow.

"Calm-Belt-scary, Calm-Belt-scary, Calm-Belt-scary..." Usopp mumbled almost frantically, tears still streaming down his ashen face.

Looking at him, I smiled evilly at him. "If you think this is scary, you should wait to see-!"

BONK BLAM!

"SHUT UP ALREADY!"

Once they all recovered from the fright of finding themselves into the Sea Kings' own nest, everyone actually calmed down enough to figure out what to do next. Fortunately, the Marines were gone (or we were far away from their reach), and we could go back to our destination.

"Okay!" Luffy launched his arms toward the sky in his typical exhilarated whoop. "Now that we're safe, let's go to Wars-!"

BONK!

Surprisingly, Koga interrupted him by punching the back of his head... leaving him on the deck with a large bump and the others (me included) with a sweatdrop at the scene.

"Now wait a second." The writer said with a nonchalant tone of voice. "There's something I want to discuss."

"And you have to punch Luffy for it?" I asked with a tilt of my head in confusion.

"He wouldn't have listened if I didn't." He shrugged, and I returned the gesture after a few seconds of thought.

Zoro sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "What is it now?"

We all watched as he sighed, apparently gathering his thoughts, and lifted his scarf to hide the lower half of his face. Did he do that often?

"I think I owe you all an apology for my behavior." I, and of course everyone else, blinked at that statement. "I just... I didn't know what's gotten into me lately. I was... not myself. I've been an ass, and I'm sorry."

"Oh." Luffy merely stated, before grinning like a loon. "It's okay, we for-!"

BONK!

... Note to self: ask Chopper once he joins the crew if this many concussions aren't bad for my captain's health. (Although, with those Fists Of Love Garp gave him... It would explain a lot.)

"I think that, more than to us, you should apologize to Apis." Nami declared after bumping Luffy to interrupt him. The girl, having not expected that, gasped in surprise and lowered her gaze to the floor. "You have been pretty rude with her."

"Nami-san's right." Sanji lit up a cigarette and blew out the smoke. "We know how you are, but she's been worried that you were angry at her. I don't know who that Marine guy is or why you reacted like that, but don't pay that anger with her."

I looked at Koga as he apologized to Apis, wondering about what could have gotten him so mad, slightly withdrawing upon myself and not hearing the others talk.

'That Marine must be what has him acting like this...' I thought to myself, following the others when Nami ordered us to set sail to Warship Island. 'Maybe they knew each other? Koga called him Yuuto... And that blue fire the sword emitted... Why do I get the feeling I should take extreme care if dealing with it?'

"That's because you should be careful with it." A sudden, yet familiar female voice sounded from behind me.

"GAH!" I jumped at it, and turned abruptly to see the semi-transparent figure of Ember, lazily floating in the air and covering her mouth with a hand to stifle her laughter. "Ember, what the hell? Almost pissed my pants here..."

"Jumpy, are we?" She snickered evilly, and I very maturely stuck my tongue out at her while finishing tying the line I was holding.

For a while she only watched us work, floating behind me with curiosity in her eyes. I let her follow me around, since she didn't exactly get in the way and didn't distract me.

Once we finally got on course, I managed to sneak into the guys' room to sit in my hammoc and chat with her as she was sitting in mid-air.

"What did you mean earlier? About the fire from that Marine's sword?"

She started stroking her chin, imitating what I normally do when thinking. "It felt... Evil? Chaotic? Like it was a corrupt fire, and... so very angry, for some reason. I could feel it due to my pyrokinesis, but it was faint. I don't know how he created them."

I looked at the floor, deep in thought. "Definitely can't be because of the Mera Mera no mi, since Ace has it, but maybe he ate a different one. Maybe it's a cursed sword, like Zoro's?"

"Could be." Ember shrugged helplessly. "But it felt too... alive, you could say, to be merely a Devil Fruit power, or a cursed sword."

"Wait, what do you mean by 'alive'?"

"Like the flames were controlled by something else than the Marine, I mean. I reeeeally think you should stay away from him. Seriously. It's not good for your health."

I mulled over it. Yeah, common sense told me to stay away. But like it or not, Yuuto had some kind of relation with the only StrawHat I didn't know.

"You think the others know about him?" I wondered, looking at the blond girl again. "I mean, Usopp mentioned something about Koga having a demon inside him."

"So? The only thing that gives us is that Koga and Yuuto are similar in that regard." Ember shrugged. "And honestly, I don't think so. He seems a pretty reserved guy."

"Yeah, that much I noticed." I said, putting my chin in my hands and sighing. "You know... even with the changes Koga might bring, this is like a dream come true, you know? I'm sailing with the Straw Hats!" I smiled at Ember, who smiled back at me. I looked at her, and an idea popped up in my head, making me grin. "Ya know... I think once we're all done with this filler, I'll explain fanfiction to the guys. Maybe I could even tell them about other people that ended up like me! Or the OC protagonists. Could be fun."

Ember looked at me, a knowing grin in her face. "You're going to tell Sanji and Zoro about those fanfics too, right?"

I only cackled crazily, almost falling off my hammoc. "Oh, it will be golden! Anyways, better go back to deck before Nami tells Sanji to get me out. Don't want Mr. Prince kicking my teeth in."

And just in time I did, because I then heard Koga's voice warning us about an island in the horizon. Warship Island.

I grinned as I stepped out of the men's quarters, a single thought crossing my mind:

'Bring it on!'


	8. The Plan

CHAPTER 8

L: We're so sorry for the delay! We had our lives to worry about, and exams are about to kill us!

AN: Me and Lara only own our respective OC's, although I might not own the weapon design of some of them, or the specific version I'm using (This will make sense later, trust me).

As we arrived at Warship Island, all of the people that lived theret were wary of us, but Apis vouched for us and they welcomed us with open arms. Then an old man stepped from the crowd. Of course, it was Apis' grandfather, but only I knew that at least until-

"Grandpa Bokuden!" She exclaimed, running into his outstretched arms.

Well, that.

"I'm glad you're safe, precious!" He said to her happily before glancing at us. "Thank you for saving my granddaughter. I'm in your debt."

Luffy smiled goofily as his only answer, with everyone else but Koga, who only showed a small smile, imitating him.

"Would you like to stay at my house and have something to eat?"

"Grandpa's pork buns are the best on the whole island!" Apis added cheerily.

"I don't think our captain needs any more convincing..." Koga grinned and I laughed as the crew watched the raven-haired boy jump up and down in excitement, already unable to wait to grub.

And like that, we all were invited to eat something. Once at the old man's house, the delicious smell floating in the air was making Luffy drool more than usual, which led to Sanji to observe Bokuden's recipe in order to reproduce it at the Merry next time. Not that anyone of the crew was complaining; in fact, they were very eager to try them...

Sherarara! I snickered inwardly. Poor them, I knew more than I ever let on.

Bokuden put the buns in a heated basket and closed the lid with a proud smile.

"Just a little longer now." The old man commented.

"Oh boy can't wait!" Luffy was by far the most excited of them all.

"How long will we have to wait?" Sanji asked, the chef inside him taking the lead.

"Well, if I had to guess, I'd say no more than four or five hours."

"WHAT?!" Usopp and Luffy yelled in unison with shocked expressions.

I couldn't help it, I burst into laughter. "Sherararara!"

But from the corner of my eye, I noticed our chronicler shaking his head forcefully and then frown apparently annoyed by something. I stopped laughing and observed him quizzically; what had all that been about?

Seemingly ignoring their shell-shocked faces, Bokuden gestured for us to get inside the house and wait.

"They'll be ready before you know it." He added, smiling softly.

Luffy's groan was barely audible as he walked inside, all of us following suit. Once comfortable, Nami briefly explained how we met Apis and the fact that the Marines were after her.

"Bokuden, do you know why they are after Apis?" She asked, straight to the point.

"Hmmm..." The old man looked at his granddaughter. "Do you know why, Apis?"

"No sir." She shook her head. Of course I knew that was a lie, but it was useless in my opinion to let Bokuden know about that.

At that, Nami subtly looked at me in a glare that promised pain if I lied about the treasure. I only raised an eyebrow and mouthed "I'll explain later, play along." She obviously didn't trust me about that, but complied nevertheless:

"Wait a minute, earlier you said you knew but didn't tell us!" The navigator quickly improvised, her glare shifting over to Apis, an eyebrow raised in disapproval.

"Oh, uh, I lied!" Apis sweated, her face giving away her lie, but Bokuden didn't seem to notice.

I saw, once more fron the corner of my eye, Koga glare at her, arms crossed over his chest, but he kept quiet. Could it be... He caught something?

"You're kidding me!" Usopp exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing significant about this island." Bokuden explained, shrugging helplessly. "Nothing except an old legend."

Koga's head perked up in curiosity, something I noticed with interest. 'Huh, so he likes stories... The myths from my world could interest him...'

"Some say that our ancestors are descendants of people from Lost Island which sank into the sea years ago. Lost Island is the home of the Sennenryu, and their bones are called Dragonite."

Already knowing this was gonna be a long wait, I chose to just flop down and cross my hands behind my head, ready to take a small nap.

'I could tell them, but I don't think it's a good idea to reveal much in front of people outside our crew-' My thoughts cut off, as I suddenly felt something. A presence... Old. Wait. Was I sensing Ryuuji? Did all Reapers have a sensor for that kinda thing?

creak*

I looked up, jerked out of my thoughts again. I noticed that the crew (minus Koga) was already falling asleep at Bokuden's story, and Apis getting up and sneaking to the door leading to the kitchen.

'Ah, Apis is bringing food to Ryuuji.' I thought with a smirk, then raised an eyebrow at one little detail. 'And Koga is following. Well, I do want to see the Sennenryu. Dragons!'

As I got up and followed, Koga looked at me and narrowed his eyes, a bit of mistrust evident on them. I looked at him calmly, but with a bit of sadness at his mistrust mixed in. After a while, Koga sighed and then gestured for me to come along, after which I smiled gratefully at him.

Apis didn't seem to notice us at all. She went first to the kitchen, grabbing some pork buns and putting them inside a large bag. As she stood up with the bag and a huge grin on her face, she froze as she noticed a sleepy Luffy dragging his feet towards the kitchen, not noticing me and the chronicler hiding behind the door. Luffy entered the kitchen and collapsed mid-step, fast asleep.

We saw Apis deflating in relief upon being undiscovered (or so she thought) and she exited the house, dragging the sack of food behind her. Outside the house, she crawled through some bushes and began climbing a hidden trail up the mountain, Koga and I always following her a few steps behind and making sure she didn't see us when she looked back to check.

'Must have gone up here a lot, right Blue?' Ember said in my head.

'Well duh.' I thought back. 'She has to hide Ryuuji from the Marines.'

I once again "felt" Ryuuji's presence, stronger as we got near him. I saw Koga refrain himself once or twice from stopping the girl, seeing as she was obviously familiar with that pressure Ryuuji created; she showed no fear or hesitation even as she swung across a small cliff, risking breaking her neck.

'Damn, that really is brave of her. Then again, she befriended a Dragon.'

At last, we reached the top of the mountain, revealing a huge cave, dark and seemingly depthless. Koga and I hid behind one of the large rocks at the entrance and peered inside, but couldn't see a thing. Of course I already knew what dwelt inside, but it wasn't fun to spoil the surprise for Koga, was it?

"Ryuuji?" Apis called, the bag full of food being carried behind her as she entered the cave.

Ryuuji's presence drew closer. And as the creature I expected stepped out into the light...

HOLY. SHIT.

'HE'S HUGE!'

'Is that what I think it is?' Ember's tone was incredibly surprised.

I could only see part of him, but it was enough to make him look gigantic. Oda just couldn't portray the sheer size of that beast, but the fact that he tried was enough for me to bow my head in respect for that genius of an author.

'A dragon you mean? Then yes.'

Apis' sudden yell snapped me from my inner talk. She was glaring right at Koga, whom had come out of his hideout to see the dragon better, gaping and apparently in a captivated daze. Said dragon was glaring at him with a warning in his huge old-looking eyes, the already empty bag on the ground at the side of its head.

"Well, there goes our state as Hidden." I deadpanned as I got out from behind my hidding place, Apis also glaring at me then.

"You two followed me here?" The little girl asked, once recovered from the shock of seeing us here.

Koga nodded, wordlessly, wonder and surprise in his eyes.

"Yeah, Apis, we did. Sorry, I guess?" I rubbed the back of my head, acting sheepish to keep the act up.

"Oh, you've both seen him too." Apis looked at a slightly calmer Ryuuji. "Well, this is Ryuuji. And he's... well, he's a dragon. But it's okay!" She quickly added flailing her arms. "He may be big and a bit senile, but he's really nice."

"I know." Koga's calm voice finally left his throat. That surprised me, but I already knew he was right. "Nice to meet you, Ryuu. I'm Koga."

I bowed, my manners taking over. "A pleasure, Ryuuji-san. I'm Espectro."

Apis looked at me weirdly, and I realised I hadn't had the chance to tell her my name until then. Oops?

"..." The dragon observed us with his depthless dark eyes, both of us ignoring the girl's surprised expression at seeing us greet the dragon so formally.

"He... He said 'Nice to meet you too.'" She translated what Ryuu said in her head. "He said you're a good soul, despite it being so dark, Koga. And he asks if you're here for him, Espectro. What does he mean?" She looked at me with renewed suspicion.

Koga flinched, but either way he smirked afterwards and walked to the great figure lying on the ground.

After seeing my crewmate walk up to the dragon, I answered her, but as I did I never took my gaze away from Ryuu's. "He can see what I am, apparently. No, Ryuuji-san, you still have a ways to go, remember?"

She looked at me, but this time not with suspicion, but with confusion. The dragon seemed to relax slightly at my statement, but still, his depthless eyes still bore into mine with an intensity that made me fidget uncomfortably.

"Why are you looking so lonely?" The blond asked, with an uncharacteristic soft voice. That averted the old dragon's attention away from me, thankfully.

Ryuu blinked slowly as he glanced down at the writer. Apis looked at the ground when Koga and I turned to her.

"Ryuuji just wants to go home, to Lost Island." She simply answered, in a low voice. Us pirates shared a look, knowing that Lost Island sank a long time ago. "He's certain that Lost Island will reappear any day now. He just... doesn't remember where it is. I've been looking through all kinds of old texts and ancient records, but I can't find anything. The legend itself has no clues." The girl put a small hand on Ryuu's snout, caressing it gently. "So, I decided to ask the Marines for help, but all they cared about was finding Dragonite. That's why they took me away."

As she said that, I frowned. If I wasn't mistaken, there was a Marine that ate an Akuma No Mi that allowed him to create what was essentially Rankyaku with his damn nails. If everything went as planned, then we were bound to encounter him sooner or later.

"... Now I understand." Koga sighed while lifting his scarf up to his nose, covering half his face in the process. "What a pain in the ass. Now we'll have to deal with some crazy power-thirsty Marines. Just great."

"Please don't tell the others!" Apis suddenly exclaimed, joining her hands.

"Huh?" Koga and I looked at her, confused.

"It's bad enough that you know my secret, but I don't want the others to get involved in all this too. Please promise me that you'll keep this a secret!"

I snickered, attracting both their attention as I pointed with my thumb to the entrance of the cave: "Too bad, I think our captain and navigator both followed us."

Just then Apis turned around and spread her arms, back towards Ryuu, as if her small figure could hide its massive size, just when Luffy and Nami appeared at the entrance. Already knowing how our dumb captain would react to the dragon's presence, Koga and I put our hands over our ears and enjoyed the silence as Luffy freaked out over Ryuu and Nami froze at the cave's entrance– likely in fear.

"Where on earth did you come from?" Luffy asked, after calming down. A full second of silence passed as the two of them glared at each other, unmoving. "Sure, I think I understand... You want to go home, right?"

'Ah, The Voice of All Things.'

Apis gasped in surprise. "How did you do that? How did you read Ryuuji's mind like I did?"

"I think he didn't read Ryuu's mind." Koga answered, and the girl looked up at him, even more confused than before. "He's only using his empathy to communicate with the dragon. In a way, it's like me using my intuition, but I can't use it the way Luffy does. Or the way you do." He smiled down at her.

I just let him give the explanation, knowing the truth but also feeling that was a pretty accurate definition of what the Voice of All Things was.

"... It was because of my powers that I met Ryuuji."

Then Apis, with a bit of the blond's help, summarized what they both knew about the Sennenryu and the Dragonite. Meanwhile, I kept silent.

"The elixir of immortality?" Nami asked, wide-eyed. "Then I can definitely understand. Though it's pretty dangerous for a girl, you know."

"I know." Apis nodded, looking at the ground in sadness. "That's why I've kept it a secret. But I have to get Ryuuji back home, no matter what. It's the only way he'll get his strength back."

I frowned, but still kept quiet. I couldn't tell her about why Ryuu wanted to get to Lost Island. It would devastate her, and would even dissuade her from bringing him to Lost Island. And as painful as it was, Ryuu needed to go there.

Before his last moments.

"Alright then!" Luffy then exclaimed, bringing me out of my somber thoughts. "We'll take him home!"

Koga smirked and I nodded in agreement, but Nami had another opinion.

"Idiot, we can't take him home! Lost Island sank!"

I looked at her, smiling knowing Luffy's answer.

"But this is a Sennenryu! If he exists, then Lost Island exists too!"

At this, I put my arm around her shoulder.

"Well, he IS right, you know?" She looked at me in surprise, and Luffy grinned at me, seemingly okay with me confirming that.

"Wow, you used your brain to find it out." The chronicler looked at Luffy, apparently impressed by his display. "It's true; we can assume Lost Island exists with Ryuu standing here right in front of our noses."

Nami looked between us, flabbergasted, then she sighed at our unwavering expressions, seeing that she was unable to change her idiot captain's mind. "Well, once the captain makes up his mind, there's not stopping him. I'm in."

"Really?" Apis' big brown eyes glared at the four of us in wonder and hope. "You'll take him?"

"Of course we will!" Luffy nodded, a huge grin on his face.

"Yeah, Apis, we promise." I nodded with a grin on my own.

"You'll need strong people to move this mole." The blond smirked to clarify he was only joking. "And besides, I'm pretty interested in writing about this. Not everyday can someone declare he had seen a living legend."

"Thank you!" The little girl hugged every one of us, beaming all the way. She barely could reach my waist, but I happily helped her in hugging me. Koga seemed slightly uncomfortable, but accepted the hug nonetheless.

A few hours later, when the rest of the crew finally arrived, we presented Ryuu to them –and getting the expected reactions. Luffy and Nami both explained his relationship with Apis, her Devil Fruit powers and the Marines' involvement in all that mess. Zoro and Sanji agreed with the plan of bringing Ryuu home fully –the former because of the perspective of a good fight and the latter to protect Apis– whereas Usopp took a bit more of convincing; I solved by telling him that a true adventurer helping a dragon would give him a great tale to tell.

After getting Usopp's head out of Ryuu's mouth –apparently, the dragon had mistaken his head for food– I started explained that, even having a good plan, the Marines wouldn't make things easy. They had been setting out a blockade and were searching for all of us, specially Apis. It was going to be difficult getting out of the island, let alone with a giant dragon that could barely move at all.

"But how are we supposed to get a giant dragon onto the Going Merry?" Usopp asked with a huge question mark over his head.

"We don't need to get it onto the ship." Koga intervened, scratching his stubble in what assumed was his thinking gesture.

"We can just carry it in a cart." I said, smiling at our resident tinkerer. "Mr Handyman over here definitely can do it."

"Exactly!" Nami agreed, nodding at me. "We'll build a cart, one big enough for Ryuuji. So everyone, let's get to work!"

"AYE!"

Making the cart went rather quickly, considering how skillful Usopp was in creating a blueprint for the cart. Zoro and Koga were put to cut logs and Sanji, Luffy and I to carry and put them according to Nami's and Usopp's directions. We all worked swiftly and without a rest, until an hour later we finished building the cart.

Apis' eyes shone in admiration at our masterwork.

"It's so sturdy!" She exclaimed. "Not even Ryuuji could break it!"

Usopp smiled with pride evident on his features, although he was left wheezing after I patted him on the back with a bit too much strength.

"This is only the easiest part." Koga said, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his arm. "Now, how are we gonna get this cart with Ryuu on it to the Merry without the Marines noticing us?"

"I suggest attacking them." Zoro raised a hand, but Nami bonked his head.

"That won't work with a giant dragon with us you idiot!" She screeched, before clearing her throat and looking at the rest of the crew. "Stealth's gonna be important here, so one of us will have to get the harbor, sneak aboard the Merry and sail it to the rear of the island."

"Well, since my good friend Kaya gave us the ship, I should be the one to go." Usopp, puffing out his chest, stepped forward. "Buuuut..." He suddenly pointed at Koga and me with a jamming finger. "Koga and Espectro are going with me!"

The chronicler deadpanned at him -"What?"- while I nodded, grinning. "Sure, why not?"

"Well, that's fine by me." Nami shrugged, being imitated by everyone else in the crew...

"What the hell guys...?" The young man groaned in defeat, ruffling his blond hair with a hand.

"Alright, we leave by nightfall!" Said Ussop, obviously glad he wouldn't be going alone.

"No, now! We're running out of time!" Nami screamed at him, making him take cover behind me with a yelp. "Bring the ship to the edge of that cape, the one that looks like your nose."

Luffy and I burst out in laughter while the others smirked, as Usopp sweatdropped at the comparison. To be honest, it did look like his nose alright.

"Alright... But how are you gonna–?"

"Leave that to me. In the meantime, you three get moving!" Nami interrupted him, shoving us all towards the position of the ship.

"You know, for a navigator you sure give a lot of orders!" Usopp complained while beginning to run to the harbor.

"Don't screw it up while we're gone." Koga nodded at the rest of the crew as he followed the sharpshooter, with me hot on his heels.

"We're not like you, you shitty eye-freak!" We barely heard Sanji's response.

The chronicler quickly surpassed me and Ussop in running, risking our necks but more worried about getting to the harbor before the Marines –and without being noticed by them too.

In the end we reached the harbor safely and without any incidents or witnesses, but our luck disappeared when we noticed the Merry in the harbor, guarded by four Marines. Actually, it was Koga who noticed them first, so he had to grab Usopp by the back of his overall and drag him backwards, the three of us hiding behind some barrels.

"This is why I wanted to go at nightfall!" Usopp moaned as he peeked out from behind the barrel.

Quick as lightning, Koga put a hand over the long-nosed teen's mouth, eyes narrowed as he observed the Marines. I already knew that those Marines were posted here by orders of some commodore named Nelson Royale, but it still confused me why no one wanted to ask me questions.

"Okay, here's the plan." He murmured, dropping his hand off Usopp's mouth and turning towards both of us. This was the first time I ever saw him so serious, and I somehow felt a bit intimidated by how his strange eyes shone. "I'll take those four down."

"Okay!" The long-nosed teen nodded enthusiastically, relieved that he wasn't going to fight. But the chronicler hadn't finished speaking just yet.

"You twocover my back in case there are more Marines in the area." And ignoring Usopp's wailings, he drew out Sankaoken out of his hilt. Before he engaged them however, I grabbed his arm and stopped him; the writer swirled to glare at me, and I quickly let go of him. He already didn't trust me enough as it was.

"I'll help you out. Haven't been able to do much so far." I prepared myself besides him, getting ready to go. His eyes narrowed, but there wasn't any time to waste, and we both knew it. He nodded curtly, counting with his fingers down from three, and we dashed towards the four unsuspecting Marines.

As we ran, I swear I heard him mutter something under his breath, and suddenly I saw him blur and quickly reach the Marines, taking them down swiftly with the flat of his blade. I stopped on my tracks, thinking he didn't need my help, but then I saw him stagger... before suddenly cutting of the head of one of them with a savage swing of his rusty blade.

"HEY!" I shoved him back as soon as Koga stopped being a blur, anger making my blood boil; as if in a daze, he let me push him enough to make him sit on the ground. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, KO-?!"

I suddenly went quiet, my sight snapping instantly to the decapitated Marine, a feeling of wrongness washing over me.

A spectral figure was standing over the corpse, looking down at Koga with rage in his eyes, as a dark sustance started covering him. I felt cold inside, as the ghost became almost unrecognizable with all the black goo covering it.

"YOU! YOU KILLED ME!" It lunged at Koga, who seemingly didn't notice it, still sitting on the ground. Acting faster than I thought possible, I stepped between them and punched at the figure, who didn't have time to block or avoid an earsplitting screech, itt blasted into chunks, which melted in flames... before disappearing completely.

I let out a breath, horrified and scared in equal measures. What the fucking hell had been that?! Was that what I was supposed to fight here? That kind of... gooey ghosts?

"Koga, Espectro!" I swirled around in a panic to see Usopp run over to us. He bent down to Koga's side and eyed him in concern. "Are you two alright?"

"Y-yeah... I..." Koga, his tan face pale as a sheet, looked over at the decapitated Marine before looking aside. "I'll be."

"And you, Espectro?" He looked up at me... or rather at my back. I couldn't bring myself to turn around and keep my cool without snapping at Koga. "Why did you punch the air?"

"I didn't punch the- You know what, nevermind." I snapped, angrily shaking my fists. "Let's just... meet with the others."

And with that, I got aboard the Merry, not waiting for the other two. I intended to have a really serious conversation with Koga about what happened today, I promised myself grimly... but I did feel a pang of guilt when I saw the writer being supported by Usopp. He soon let go, but I did see him with what seemed doubt and anger at himself.

Working quickly, we raised the anchor and released the sails, the Merry quickly leaving harbor thanks to a sudden gust of wind that we could catch in time. But we were a bit too fast, and I suddenly a large Marine ship heading towards them from the blockade, ready to cut our path!

"No, we're gonna crash!" Usopp yelled in fright from the helm.

"I'll get the tiller! Espectro, help me!" Koga exclaimed, rushing towards it and forcefully pulling on it. All I could do was grit my teeth as I ran over to him and helped him with the tiller. We all got knocked to the ground when we collided with the Marine ship on the side, but sprung back up and recovering our grip on the tiller, pulling as hard as our arms could.

The Merry's side scraped against the side of the Marine ship, before another gust of wind let us take off around the island. Behind us, loud alarms blasted as the Marine ships hurried to follow after our tails, with little success; against those giant ships, our own little caravel was way faster than theirs, and the wind were on our side.

Usopp looked out from the railing as the blockade began vanishing from their sights and sighed in relief, before laughing triumphantly. "We did it! We made it through alive!"

The blond young man also let out a sigh, but his eyebrows were still furrowed. I glared at him, still pissed at what transpired earlier, but we had some things on our hands before talking about that.

"There's a Marine ship behind us!"

Usopp's sudden yell brought us back to the present as we were reminded that we weren't safe yet.

"Usopp, man the rudder! Espectro, help me again with the sails!"

"Uh, yeah!"

Leaving the sharpshooter with the rudder, he jumped over the railing and rushed towards the sails, catching a rope and pulled it left as hard as he could. I did the same with another of the ropes, yanking at hard as I could. We felt a sudden yank in response as the sails suddenly inflated even more, Merry gaining speed quickly; however, even being as enormous as a whale, the Marine ship was catching up on us at an alarming speed. I looked back in frustration; it wasn't like this in the anime! We had to get out somehow-!

"That's the cape!" Koga exclaimed suddenly.

Both Usopp and my heads whipped around to see the rendezvous point just a few minutes away from us. I breathed in relief and Usopp got a hopeful expression on his face as he found the cape but then frowned in confusion.

"But how the hell are they going to bring that giant cart down here with a dragon on it?" He wondered almost to himself.

Koga also frowned, apparently having the same thoughts. I just smiled to myself, knowing what was to come.

Rumble rumble rumble

'And there they are...'

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE

I looked up at the cape, the thunderous noise getting closer by the second. Until...

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!

"YAHOOOO!"

I laughed with all my might, Usopp's jaw dropped to the ground and Koga's eyes widened until they seemed dinner plates when we saw the gigantic cart they built for Ryuu zooming down towards the cape at an enormous speed; the dragon was on the cart, and five other people were on top of its body, holding for dear life with the rubbery idiot laughing. The cart flew over the Marine ship behind the Merry, snapping its mast in half in the process before skidding to a halt in the middle of the ocean.

The sharpshooter sighed in relief upon seeing the cart survived that fall.

"... Better get over there." Koga commented, also recovered from the surprise.

"Yeah." Usopp and I agreed, me with a smile and still trying to keep my laughter in.


End file.
